Séminaire
As computing power begins to allow global simulations that explicitly represent the main modes of convective heat and mass transport, a new generation of climate models is emerging. These models are simpler, more physical, and more readily linked to and constrained by data than were their predecessors. They also more naturally and better simulate important features of the climate system than was previously possible. In this talk I will argue that the structural differences between these models and those we have been using in the past, makes them akin to a new lens through which to survey the cosmos. Structural changes in how we model the climate system are rare, and invariably lead to new insights. This makes for `heady’ (exciting) times, as both the strengths and weaknesses of this new generation of models stand to greatly advance understanding of the climate system and its susceptibility to changes.