Why do scientists work with climate models?

Climate models help us understand the how the atmosphere and the ocean work and how the Earth climate has changed in the past and might change in the future. They are for example used to “grasp the broad range of solutions and uncertainties in the climate system, as well as its variability over timespans ranging from days to several million years.” Or  to understand “how the dramatic climate changes in the Arctic are connected to the weather and climate in central Europe”. They can also be used to “look at a potential connection between extreme storms and changes in sea ice”.

Read here how AWI climate scientists and ESM project team members Gerrit Lohmann, Dörthe Handorf and Annette Rinke apply numerical models to unravel Earth’s mysteries.