Teaching Paleoclimate and Future Climate to Undergraduates Through EdGCM

1. Teaching Paleoclimate and Future Climate to Undergraduates Through EdGCM Linda Sohl Columbia University and NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

2. EdGCM: Educational Global Climate Model http://edgcm.columbia.edu SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

3. WHAT is a GCM and WHY use one in the classroom? SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

4. Cartesian Grid General Circulation Models (Henderson-Sellers, 1985) (Hansen et al., 1983) SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

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6. Snowball_sim2.R Model II 8/24/2000Owner: Dr. Mark Chandler, chandler@giss.nasa.govGroup: Paleoclimate GroupThis experiment simulates a time period approximately 600 million years ago. There is evidence that a “super” ice age occurred that effected even tropical continents. Did the Earth freeze over entirely???Object modules:MainC9DiagC9RadC9FFTC9UTILC9Data input files:7=G8X10_600Ma9=NOV1910.rsf_snowball15=O8X10_600Ma17=25=Modern_OceanTransports19=CD8X10_600Ma23=V8X10_600Ma26=Z8X101_600Ma21=RTAU.G25L1522=RPLK2529=Snowball_Earth_RegionsLabel and Namelist:Snowball_sim2 (Snowball Earth Experiment: 600 million years ago) &INPUTZ TAUI=10176.,IYEAR=1900, KOCEAN=1, SRCOR=.95485638151, S0X=1.,CO2=.31746031746031, USET=0.,TAUE=35040., USESLP=-12., ISTART=3,KCOPY=2,NDPRNT=-1,TAUE=10177.,TAUP=95616., &END From here… SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

7. … to here SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

8. Objectives • Allow teachers to run a NASA global climate model on a desktop computer, encouraging students to participate in the full scientific process including: experiment design, running simulations, analyzing data and reporting results. SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

9. Objectives • Allow teachers to run a NASA global climate model on a desktop computer, encouraging students to participate in the full scientific process including: experiment design, running simulations, analyzing data and reporting results. • Students come away with a deeper appreciation of the climate science, and are better equipped to evaluate conflicting perspectives on climate change as presented by the media. SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

10. Using EdGCM in the Classroom • Can be used for a range of activities from lab exercises • to full-semester projects • Modular approach makes it possible to emphasize key • aspects of models and/or the modeling process SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

11. How to Teach About Paleoclimate and Future Climate In Two (Easy) Labs EdGCM labs are linked to lectures on • Paleoclimate proxies and climate reconstruction from the geologic record • IPCC projections for future climate change Emphasis is on understanding what models can and cannot do, and how their performance is validated SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

12. Lab 1 - Paleoclimate Simulations LGM and Mid-Pliocene Warm Interval • Students are introduced to the main components of EdGCM: Setup Simulations, Analyze Output, Scientific Visualization • Paleoclimate simulations are qualitatively assessed against climate reconstructions based on proxy data • Comparisons of paleoclimate output with a modern “control run” establish a sense of natural climate variability SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

13. Last Glacial Maximum temperature anomalies Mid-Pliocene Warm Interval temperature anomalies SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

14. Lab 2 - Future Climate Simulations Global Warming Scenarios • Students compare the outcome of scenarios with gradually increasing CO2, instantaneous doubling of CO2, and a scenario of their own design • Comparison of these results with paleoclimate simulations conveys the magnitude of anthro-pogenic forcing vs. natural climate variability SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

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16. Take-Away Points • Models are imperfect representations of the world, BUT • Overall consistency of model output with proxy data and between models (ensemble runs) demonstrates that we are on the right track! • Models therefore have the capability to provide • useful insights for both past and future climates SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008

17. Acknowledgments Colleagues at Columbia / The EdGCM Project • Mark Chandler • Ken Mankoff • Steven Richards Support provided by NASA’s Earth Science programs and the NSF Paleoclimate Program SERC New Tools Workshop, February 2008