National Academy of Sciences Report Released: A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report produced by the National Academy of Sciences Division on Earth and Life Studies titled, A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling.  The 280-page report available free for download (with registration here) was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Science Foundation; National Aeronautics and Astronautics Administration; U.S. Intelligence Community in order to better understand climate change.  According to the press release,

[c]limate models will need to evolve substantially to deliver climate projections at the scale and level of detail desired by decision makers, this report finds. As climate change has pushed climate patterns outside of historic norms, the need for detailed projections is growing across all sectors, including agriculture, insurance, and emergency preparedness planning.

Despite much recent progress in developing reliable climate models, there are still efficiencies to be gained across the large and diverse U.S. climate modeling community. Evolving to a more unified climate modeling enterprise—in particular by developing a common software infrastructure shared by all climate researchers, and holding an annual climate modeling forum—could help speed progress.

A free webinar to compliment this report is available on September 28 at 1:30 pm EST, where live presentations will be given by the report's authoring committee and individuals will be able to ask questions about the report's findings.  To register for the webinar click here.