NASA GISS: Research in Climate Modeling

NASA - Goddard Institute for Space Studies

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Global Climate Modeling

The climate modeling program at GISS is primarily aimed at the development of three-dimensional general circulation models (GCMs) and coupled atmosphere-ocean models for simulating Earth's climate system, although some research efforts may include the use and development of two-dimensional energy balance models (EBMs), and one-dimensional radiative-convective models (RCMs). Primary emphasis in the use of the GCMs is placed on investigation of climate sensitivity, including the climate system's response to such forcings as solar variability, anthropogenic and natural emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols, etc.

A major focus of GISS GCM simulations is to study the potential for humans to impact the climate as well as the impact of a changing climate on society and the environment. GCM developmental research focuses on sensitivity to parameterizations of clouds and moist convection, ground hydrology, and ocean-atmosphere-ice interactions, as well as investigations of more accurate numerical methods. The program also involves development of techniques to infer global cloud properties from satellite radiance measurements of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project. Ongoing field and laboratory programs in palynology, paleoclimate reconstruction, and other geophysical sciences provide fundamental climate data for evaluating and validating model predictions.

Research Groups

CAFE: Climate Variability, Anthropogenic Forcings, and Agricultural/Marine Ecosystem Interactions

Related Research Tools

GISS ModelE: FORTRAN 90 source and documentiation for a current version of the GISS series of coupled atmosphere-ocean models. Includes a complete rewrite of the Model II' physics with greater flexibility and more options. These include better representations of the stratosphere, tracer components and various ocean models.
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GISS AOM-GR: FORTRAN source and documentation for the 1999 version of the GISS Atmosphere-Ocean Model (GR).
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GISS GCM - Model II: FORTRAN source and documentation for the 1980s version of the GISS global climate model, used in the original NASA GISS global warming simulations described in Hansen et al. 1988. The code is maintained and distributed by the Columbia University EdGCM project.
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