from Part III - Scientific Investigations of the Climate System
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 November 2025
Modern research has produced computer climate models that are based largely on weather-prediction models. Climate models, however, include simulations of the ocean and land surface and other components of the climate system, as well as the atmosphere. Climate models are also allowed to run for a longer simulated time, several months or even years, instead of the few days needed to produce a weather forecast. This variation in time scales is one of the fundamental differences between climate and weather. Climate modeling is computer simulation of a high order. We can change a number in the computer program and make the Earth spin faster or backwards, we can turn off the Sun, we can make the seasons disappear, or we can change atmospheric carbon dioxide. Of course, we are doing all this with a make-believe or virtual Earth. Climate modeling by computer simulation is an exciting area of research. It can provide valuable insights into how the climate system works. However, the results are approximate solutions of the climate problem, not exact depictions.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.