Climate Models

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Atmosphere Noun

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[at-muh-sfeer]

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Atmosphere

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The envelope of gases surrounding the Earth, a key component in climate models that includes data on solar radiation and emissions.

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Example: This diagram shows the composition of Earth's atmosphere, which is a mixture of gases, primarily nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), surrounding the planet.

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Hydrosphere Noun

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[hahy-droh-sfeer]

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Hydrosphere

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All the water on the Earth's surface, such as oceans, lakes, and sea ice, which are critical components of climate models.

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Example: This diagram shows the hydrosphere, which includes all water on Earth's surface like oceans and lakes, interacting with the land, air, and living things.

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Geosphere Noun

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[jee-oh-sfeer]

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Geosphere

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The solid parts of the Earth, including continents and land features, whose use and changes are modeled in climate science.

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Example: This diagram shows the geosphere, the solid part of the Earth, by illustrating its layers: the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core.

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Biosphere Noun

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[bahy-oh-sfeer]

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Biosphere

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The regions of the Earth's surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere that are occupied by living organisms and interact with the climate.

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Example: This diagram shows the biosphere is the zone of life on Earth, encompassing parts of the land (lithosphere), water (hydrosphere), and air (atmosphere).

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Coupler Noun

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[kuhp-ler]

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Coupler

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The framework in a computer model that connects and facilitates interactions between major component models like atmosphere, ocean, and land.

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Example: A coupler in a climate model acts like a central hub, connecting and allowing different earth systems (like atmosphere, ocean, and ice) to communicate.

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Anthropogenic emissions Noun

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[an-thruh-poh-jen-ik ih-mish-uhns]

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Anthropogenic emissions

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Pollutants, particularly greenhouse gases, that are released into the atmosphere as a direct result of various human activities.

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Example: Human activities, like driving cars, release pollutants called emissions into the air, which can affect the climate.

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Albedo Noun

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[al-bee-doh]

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Albedo

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The measure of how much light that hits a surface is reflected without being absorbed, a key factor for ice sheets.

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Example: This image shows how light-colored surfaces (like ice) reflect more sunlight, while dark-colored surfaces (like oceans) absorb more, explaining the concept of albedo.

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Thermohaline circulation Noun

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[thur-moh-hey-lahyn sur-kyuh-ley-shuhn]

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Thermohaline circulation

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Large-scale ocean circulation driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes, affecting global climate patterns.

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Example: This world map shows how warm surface water (red) moves toward the poles, cools, sinks, and returns as cool deep water (blue), distributing heat globally.

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Earth System Model (ESM) Noun

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[urth sis-tuhm mod-l]

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Earth System Model (ESM)

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A computer model using equations to simulate interactions between the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land, ice, and biosphere components.

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Example: This diagram shows the main parts of the Earth System—atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (land), and biosphere (life)—that are simulated in an Earth System Model.

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Input forcings Noun

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[in-poot fawr-sings]

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Input forcings

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External factors such as sunlight, volcanic activity, and human activities that are added to a climate model to predict future conditions.

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Example: This diagram shows incoming solar radiation, an external 'input forcing' that provides energy to Earth's climate system, causing it to warm.