Computer-Model Lab Project - Overview and Instructions
Fall 2015
Overview
The intent of these projects is to provide you with experience in
running and diagnosing a global climate model. These projects
complement the lectures by using a numerical global climate model
(GCM). The goals are to
- learn to run a GCM using a graphical user interface (GUI)
- learn to diagnose GCM output
- understand general characteristics of climate model output (e.g.,
temporal variability, spatial scales, etc.)
- compare some diagnoses with results from the simpler models
presented in the lectures
- reflect on capabilities learned and further directions one might
take the work performed for the class.
The lectures emphasize results from relatively simple simple models
that allow us to observe fundamental physical principles at work, such
as conservation of energy and feedback. The GCM run for these
projects is more complex because it is a full numerical model. This
work complements the lectures by giving us a view of how much one
GCM's behavior corresponds to that of the simpler models.
Students will work on the EdGCM projects in
Science Teams. For each
project, there will be two reports:
- A team report -
For this, each team will
work together to determine the simulations that should be done,
perform the simulations and analyze results. Each team will turn in
a team report on this work.
- Self-reflection report -
Each project will include a self-reflection report. These are written
individually, but team members are welcome to discuss their thinking
with other class members and faculty.
Each EdGCM project below includes guidance on goals for simulation,
analysis and reflection.
Background
The Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York developed
the GCM used here. A paper (in pdf) describes
the development of this model. This is a somewhat older model
than those currently used to assess climate change, including the one
used by GISS itself. However, the model is sufficiently accurate for
our purposes and, equally important, has the virtue of running
reasonably fast on a PC or Macintosh computer to allow us to perform
climate simulation experiments. Note that the code currently does NOT
work in a unix environment: you must use a PC Windows or Macintosh
operating system.
The version of the model used here was developed by the EdGCM project at Columbia
University. The efforts of this groups are signficant and should be
acknowledged in any document or presentation you give using output
from this project. Substantial scientific education
standards have guided its development. It includes a graphical
user interface (GUI) that allows
one to set up and run the model fairly simply - a great advantage
compared to the usual steps needed to run a complex model. The model
also comes with a diagnostic program, Panoply, that allows
you to create plots and thus diagnose model behavior.
For 2015 (This might work): You can download here a .zip file
containing Panoply for Windows machines.
EdGCM Projects for this class
Go to main
web page for Climate Modeling.