Understanding Climate Change
Media Types
| Scientific Visualizations |
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Webcasts |
Climate Change
Simulation, 1870–2100
This animation depicts global surface warming as simulated by the NCAR-based
Community Climate System Model (CCSM). It
shows warming and cooling compared to average temperatures at the end of the
19th century. (These departures from the average are called temperature anomalies.)
The map shows warming and cooling over the entire globe; the graph displays
the global average temperature, year by year. Several major volcanic eruptions
(such as Agung on the island of Bali in 1963) are noted in the graph and the
subsequent cooling is seen in the animation. Click here to
open a Web page where the animation can be launched in a variety of formats.
(©UCAR. News
media terms of use*)
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NCAR scientist discusses IPCC report
Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at NCAR and one of the major authors of the 2007 assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, explains why the IPCC reports are an authoritative source of climate change information. The IPCC, a group representing over 180 governments, conducts assessments of global climate change by hundreds of scientists who are experts in the field. It operates under the auspices of the U.N. Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. Click here or
on the image to launch the webcast. (©UCAR;
running time: 4 minutes. News media terms of use*) |
Dual-globe
View, Climate Change Simulation, 1870–2100
This animation depicts global surface warming as simulated by
the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model (CCSM).
It shows warming and cooling compared to average temperatures
at the end of the 19th century. (These departures from the average
are called temperature anomalies.) The greater difference from
average at the poles is due to "polar amplification," a
warming feedback loop as sea ice melts, warm water migrates poleward,
and open water absorbs more sunlight. Click here or
on the image to open a Web page where the animation can be launched
in a variety of formats. (©UCAR. News
media terms of use*)
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Climate Future: Voices of Science
Some of NCAR's most prominent scientists weigh in on key questions about
climate change in these short interviews, produced by NCAR Education and Outreach. Click here or
on the image to open a Web page where the webcast can be launched. (©UCAR. News media terms of use*) |
Arctic Sea
Ice, Summer Minimum, 1990–2049
This animation, based on simulations produced by
the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model, show the year-to-year
variability of Arctic sea ice. For much of the 20th century,
the model accurately captures the expansion and contraction of
the area covered by sea ice from one late summer to the next,
based on natural climate cycles. By the end of the 20th century,
however, the ice began to retreat significantly because of global
warming.
Within a few decades or sooner,
the model simulations show that the ice is likely to shrink
abruptly, losing about two-thirds of its area over the course
of about a decade. By about 2040, the Arctic may be nearly
devoid of sea ice during the late summer unless greenhouse
gas emissions are significantly curtailed. Click here or
on the image to open a Web page with two stills and
the animation, which can be launched in a variety of formats.
(©UCAR. News
media terms of use*)
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More Climate Webcasts
Over 75 webcasts dealing with climate science and science policy are available. Click here or
on the image to open a Web page with a listing of all climate-related webcasts. (©UCAR. News media terms of use*) |
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Future Climate Change Impacts,
by Region
View an interactive map of potential impacts of climate change. The selected
impacts are based on the region-by-region analysis conducted by
IPCC Working Group II. The
IPCC has assigned "high confidence" to these projected impacts
unless otherwise stated. Click here or
on the image to open a Web page with the enlarged, interactive map as
well as a text version suitable for printing. (©UCAR. News
media terms of use*)
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| Images to explain climate modeling |
This illustration shows how the amount of detail in climate models has increased in recent years, largely because of the calculation power provided by newer supercomputers. In the 1990s, high-resolution global climate models operated on the T42 resolution scheme (upper left). At this resolution, temperature, moisture, and other features were tracked in grid boxes that each spanned about 200 by 300 kilometers at midlatitudes (120 x 180 miles), an area roughly as large as West Virginia.
In more recent modeling that led up to the 2007
IPCC Working Group I report, the NCAR-based Community Climate
System Model (CCSM) routinely operated at T85 resolution (upper
right), with midlatitude grid points of about 100 by 150 km (60
x 90 miles)—the size of Connecticut.
Better resolution
not only provides a more true-to-life depiction of atmospheric
processes, but also allows for more realistic topography, which
makes regional climate projections more accurate. For
example, the highest Rocky Mountains appear as two coarse grid
points at T42 but as a more diverse assortment of high peaks
at T170 (lower left). Enhancements in computing power will help
scientists explore the use of higher resolutions, such as
T170 and T340 (lower right). Click here or
on the image to enlarge. (Illustration courtesy Warren Washington,
NCAR. ©UCAR. News media terms of use*) |
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Now
in its third generation, the NCAR-based Community Climate System
Model (CCSM) is one of the world’s most sophisticated
and widely used models of global climate. This graphic illustrates
the many components included in the CCSM, ranging from cirrus
and stratus clouds to ocean currents and soil moisture. These
components are also typical of many of the dozen or so climate
models at other major research centers around the globe. Click
here or on the image to view a larger image with more details
on each component. (Illustration by Paul Grabhorn, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
The complexity of global climate models has increased enormously over the last 20 years, as shown in this flow chart. Beneath each time period is a list of the components included in state-of-the-art models such as the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model. Click here or
on the image to enlarge. (Illustration courtesy Warren Washington,
NCAR. ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
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Updated:March 2008
*News media reproduction to illustrate this story and nonprofit use permitted with proper attribution as provided above and acceptance of UCAR's terms of use. Find more images in the UCAR Digital Image Library.
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages
the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the
National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions,
or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
This document can be found at
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