Climate Modeling - History Of Climate Change Research

The transcript discusses the evolution of climate science, starting with primitive models in the 1950s and the role of computers in advancing weather forecasting. It highlights the development of global climate models in the 1960s and the impact of digital computing on numerical weather prediction. The narrative also touches on the human capacity to modify the climate, especially post-World War II, and the shift in perception towards environmentalism by the 1970s.

What was a significant factor in the development of early climate models in the 1950s and 1960s?

• The launch of the first satellite

• The use of primitive computers

• The invention of the internet

• The discovery of DNA

What was a key realization about climate influences in the 1960s?

• Climate models are unnecessary

• Climate change is entirely predictable

• Multiple factors and feedbacks influence climate

• Climate is influenced by a single factor

What was a limitation of the first climate model simulations in the 1970s?

• They could simulate only a month

• They were based on inaccurate data

• They required manual calculations

• They included only the ocean

What was the first recognized global atmospheric change caused by human activity?

• Deforestation

• Fallout from atomic bomb tests

• Greenhouse gas emissions

• Industrial pollution

How did the perspective on climate modification change by the 1970s?

• It was fully controlled by technology

• It was seen as a positive advancement

• It was considered a threat to the environment

• It was ignored by scientists