Collaborative Research: Mathematics and Climate Change Research Network

Jones, DMS-0940363

Camp, DMS-0940267

Danforth, DMS-0940271

Fung, DMS-0940272

Golden, DMS-0940249

Holland, DMS-0940241

Kostelich, DMS-0940314

McGehee, DMS-0940366

Pierrehumbert, DMS-0940261

Silber, DMS-0940262

Tung, DMS-0940342

Zeeman, DMS-0940243

The investigators form a 'Mathematics and Climate Research

Network.' This is a framework for an intensive effort aimed at

bringing to bear the full power of modern applied mathematics and

statistics on the prediction and understanding of the Earth's

climate. The investigators focus on three key themes: (1)

Dynamics of Climate, (2) Climate Process Modeling, and (3) Data

Analysis and Data Assimilation. Dynamics of Climate addresses

critical climate processes and their interactions. Climate

Process Modeling undertakes the modeling of climate components

that have been underrepresented in extant climate models, such as

the multi-scale material structure of sea ice. Data Analysis and

Data Assimilation develops mathematical tools for analyzing

climate data and assimilating them in current climate models.

The Research Network aims to be a national resource, with

participants at thirteen U.S. universities. The investigators

work together as a virtual community that holds regular weekly

'webinars' and working meetings over the Internet. This

multi-year effort is expected to help in defining a research area

of 'climate mathematics' and in educating a new generation of

mathematical researchers to meet the scientific challenges

associated with a changing climate.

This project is driven by the need to better understand the

Earth's climate system. Climate is the result of many

geophysical and chemical processes in the Earth's atmosphere,

oceans and biosphere. These processes evolve in time over many

scales, ranging from minutes to centuries, and interact in

multiple ways, most often nonlinearly. Feedback mechanisms, many

of which are poorly understood, further complicate the picture.

Because there is only one Earth, climate cannot be studied by

systematic experimentation; the only approach available to

climate researchers is through computational experiments. These

experiments are based on mathematical models, which must be

simple enough not to exceed the capabilities of today's advanced

computer architectures, while still incorporating the physical

and chemical processes that are essential for realistic climate

outcomes. The expertise of mathematical scientists in designing,

assessing and interpreting these models is critical. This

'Mathematics and Climate Research Network' helps engage the

mathematical sciences community to address the mathematical and

statistical issues of our changing climate. The Research Network

takes full advantage of current information technology;

communication and collaboration among the participants takes

place mostly remotely over the Internet.