|
Introduction
Rising Temperatures
Predicting Global Warming
Complicating Factors
Predicting 2080
Spring 2080
Summer 2080
Autumn 2080
Winter 2080
Find Out More
Credits
|
|
 Climate models are a vast simplification of the real thing, as it's currently impossible to perfectly reconstruct the complexities of the atmosphere. But that's not to say that the models aren't useful; they are the most powerful tools in our battle to understand how the atmosphere works.
It is a complicated business though. A small underestimation in a variable can lead to a gross magnification over time, greatly skewing the end result. Like a large orchestra, climate models need a great deal of fine-tuning in order to get a coherent result. To add to the complexity, many of the variables are difficult to quantify. The goalposts constantly shift as new information is received from a plethora of meteorological stations and satellites that diligently collect weather data 24/7 to feed to the hungry models. And when it comes to man-made variables, such as the pumping of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, you need a crystal ball to know what might happen in the future. These factors are why climate change prediction (and the consequences of the changes) is never cut and dried.
Top of page
|
