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A numerical representation of the climate system based on the physical, chemical
and biological properties of its components, their interactions and feedback processes,
and accounting for all or some of its known properties. The atmosphere and ocean general
circulation model components are three-dimensional, time-dependent models that include a
representation of the equations of motion on a sphere. In addition to atmosphere and ocean
components, the term AOGCM is often applied to computer models that include land surface
and sea ice model components. The model components are coupled, in the sense that fluxes
are regularly exchanged between the different model components as they march forward in time.
AOGCMs provide a relatively comprehensive representation of the climate system. AOGCM models are applied, as a research
tool, to study and simulate the climate, but also for operational purposes, including monthly,
seasonal and interannual climate predictions.
The Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC (aka AR4) is scheduled to
be completed in 2007. See IPCC for more information.
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CCSP
(U.S. Climate Change Science Program)
The U.S. Climate Change Science Program integrates federal research on
climate and global change, as sponsored by thirteen federal agencies
and overseen by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Council
on Environmental Quality, the National Economic Council and the Office of
Management and Budget. CCSP retains the responsibility for compliance
with the requirements of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, including
its provisions for annual reporting of findings and short-term plans,
scientific reviews by the National Academy of Sciences / National Research
Council, and periodic publication of a ten-year strategic plan for the program.
[The above information was taken from
the CCSP
web pages.]
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A term used to describe variations and changes in climatic elements
occurring on time scale ranging from decades to centuries.
These temporal variations may be induced by changes in
forcing agents arising from either
human activities (e.g., increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases) or
natural causes (e.g., volcanic aerosols or solar irradiance). Some deccen
climate variability is unforced, in that it can be the product of
internally generated climate system fluctuations.
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The ENSO acronym acknowledges the linkage between El Niņo events
and the Southern Oscillation. The El Niņo/La Niņa aspect of ENSO
refers to significant oscillations in sea surface temperature
over the eastern and central equatorial Pacific. The Southern
Oscillation is a "seesaw" in sea level pressure, with one center of
action in the western Pacific-Indian Ocean region and the other in
the eastern Pacific. The ENSO cycle occurs at irregular intervals,
typically ranging between two and seven years, and probably is the
best known and most studied si phenomenon.
The term equilibrium climate sensitivity commonly refers to the
equilibrium change in global mean surface air temperature following a
doubling of the atmospheric (equivalent) carbon dioxide concentration
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Developed at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL),
Ferret is an interactive computer visualization and analysis environment
designed to meet the needs of oceanographers and meteorologists analyzing
large and complex gridded data sets.
[The above information was adapted from text presented on
the Ferret
web pages.]
A forcing (or more properly, a radiative forcing) is the result of a process that
directly changes the energy balance of the climate system by affecting the balance
between incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave and shortwave radiation. It does not include
the effects of feedbacks. A positive forcing tends to warm the surface of the Earth and a negative forcing
tends to cool the surface. Forcing agents, such as clouds, greenhouse gases, aerosols,
and surface albedo changes, are those things that cause variations in radiative forcings.
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GrADS (Grid Analysis and Display System)
Developed at the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA),
GrADS is an interactive desktop tool that is used for easy access,
manipulation, and visualization of earth science data.
[The above information was adapted from text presented on
the GrADS
web pages.
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IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been established by
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) to assess scientific, technical and socioeconomic information
relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options
for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC is organized into three Working Groups
and a Task Force. GFDL scientists are primary involved with Working Group I (WGI),
which assesses the physical science aspects of the climate system and climate change.
Model output from GFDL and other modeling centers is analyzed as part of
both WGI and WGII activities. A main activity of the IPCC is to provide in regular
intervals an assessment of the state of knowledge on climate change.
The IPCC has completed three assessment report cycles. The first was completed
in 1990, the second in 1995 and the third in 2001. The fourth assessment report
(AR4) is planned to be completed in 2007.[The above information was adapted from text presented on
the IPCC web pages.]
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PCMDI
(Program for Climate Model Diagnosis
and Intercomparison)
Located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL),
PCMDI's mission is to develop improved methods and tools for the diagnosis and
intercomparison of general circulation models (GCMs) that simulate the global climate.
PCMDI is providing facilities for the storage and distribution of data sets from
multiple coupled ocean-atmosphere GCM climate simulations, including those conducted
at GFDL.Access to data stored on the IPCC/PCMDI archive (model output from GFDL and other
international research centers) is limited to users whose registration applications are
approved by the IPCC/WGCM committee.
[The above information was adapted from text presented on
the PCMDI web pages.]
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si (seasonal-to-interannual variability)
Sometimes referred to as "short term climate fluctuations",
si variability occurs on time scales longer than that associated
with individual synoptic weather systems (i.e., beyond the range of
credible day to day forecasts), up to time scales of a few years.
The El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
is the phenomenon that is perhaps most often associated with si variability.
SRES (Special Report on Emissions Scenarios)
In 2000, the IPCC published a Special Report on
Emissions Scenarios (SRES), presenting multiple scenarios of greenhouse gas and
aerosol precursor emissions for the 21st century. The SRES scenarios, some of which are used
to drive climate model projections, cover a wide range of the main driving forces of
future emissions, from demographic to technological and economic developments.
[The above information was adapted from text presented on the IPCC SRES web pages &
related pages at the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit.]
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WGI (Working Group I of the IPCC)
One of three IPCC working groups,
WGI focuses on the physical basis of climate change.
[see The IPCC WGI
web pages for additional
information.]
(*) Some of the definitions on this page have been drawn from the following sources:
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Appendix I, Glossary from "Climate Change 2001:
IPCC Working Group I: The Scientific Basis", Editor: A.P.M.
Baede.
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Annex D., Glossary of Terms from "Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program Final Report",
U.S. CCSP and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research , July
2003.
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The American Meteorological Society's online Glossary of Meteorology.
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