Climate System Modeling 2007: From a Global to a Regional Perspective

Tim Killeen
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO

The ability of the scientific community to model climate system dynamics has markedly improved over the past decade, with major increases in available computer power, coupled with systematic improvements in the sophistication of the mathematical treatment of the interacting components of the earth system. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I report, published in 2007, provided a comprehensive assessment of the peer reviewed literature and summarized the results from more than 15 modeling centers worldwide. The IPCC assessment stated that warming of the climate system is "unequivocal." The models predict further systematic and significant warming of the planet over the coming decades. The next generation of climate system models will have greater spatial resolution and can be tailored to address decision-making needs at the regional level and for specific economic sectors. This talk will summarize recent developments in climate system modeling at the regional level, with special emphasis on results from the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) and implications for the oil- and gas-generating regions of the world. The CCSM was one of the models used within the IPCC assessment and has been developed under the long-term sponsorship from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. The CCSM is managed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas