Climate Modeling Archives - State of the Planet

Dust May Beat Black Carbon at Speeding Up Snowmelt in the Himalayas

Tiny dust particles at high altitudes are having a greater effect on snow-darkening than previously thought, accelerating the loss of glaciers.

by |December 3, 2020
maps showing current continents and two potential supercontinents

What Will the Climate Be Like When Earth’s Next Supercontinent Forms?

In roughly 200 million years, the continents will once again unite into a supercontinent. A new study explores how the next Pangea could affect the global climate.

by |December 1, 2020

Greenland Ice Sheet Reached Tipping Point 20 Years Ago, New Study Finds

The massive ice sheet is now locked into a certain amount of decline. But reducing emissions remains critical to preventing catastrophic loss of the entire ice sheet.

by |September 2, 2020
cumulous cloud over mountains

New Project Will Analyze Clouds to Make Future Climate Less Nebulous

Understanding how clouds respond to climate change will be essential for predicting how much hotter the planet could get.

by |September 1, 2020
Hami basin landscape

Evolving Landscape Added Fuel to Gobi Desert’s High-Speed Winds

A new study uncovers a previously undocumented relationship between erosion and wind speed.

by |January 8, 2020
map of peat samples

Northern Peatlands Contain Twice as Much Carbon as Previously Thought

New findings double potential emissions from these areas, with big implications for climate modeling.

by |October 21, 2019
hadley cell atmospheric circulation

Columbia Researchers Provide New Evidence on the Reliability of Climate Modeling

Observational data confirms that Hadley cell circulation is weakening, which has important consequences for future rainfall in the subtropics.

by |June 24, 2019
clouds

Machine Learning May Be a Game-Changer for Climate Prediction

A new study uses machine learning to better represent clouds in climate models, which helps to predict the climate’s response to rising levels of greenhouse gases.

by |June 21, 2018
temperatures based on climate model

What Are Climate Models and How Accurate Are They?

How past climate data improves our understanding of climate change and helps predict its impacts.

by |May 18, 2018

New Sustainability Science Program Features Course on Climate Science for Decision-Makers

Understanding the range of climate risks requires understanding the way in which climate models are built and the assumptions that underpin them.

by |April 12, 2018