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PAOC Spotlights

PAOC IAP Courses: 12.312

Wed December 8th, 2010

NOT OFFERED JANUARY 2012

The aim of 12.312 Understand and run your own climate model  is to introduce MIT undergraduates to the challenges of numerical modeling of a physical system, and, in particular, to the major challenge of modeling the climate system. By focusing on a relatively simple climate model, students have the opportunity to understand in detail some of the numerical methods used and to run a climate model on their own.

Through discussion of a modern general circulation model, running simple climate models in Matlab and analyzing output from the comprehensive climate models used in global warming assessments, students gain hands-on experience and learn some of the fundamentals of simulating Earth's climate system.

Syllabus:
1. Introduction to climate and matlab tutorial
2. Radiation and convection: 0D and column radiation models
3. Poleward energy transport and ice-albedo: 1D (in latitude) energy balance model
4. Basic dynamics: spinup of fluid-dynamical instability
5. Modern climate models and climate change experiments: analysis of climate model output

Instructor: Paul O'Gorman
Email: pog@mit.edu
Office: 54-1616

TA: Mike Byrne

Class webpage

Meet: MWF Jan 5-28 except MLK day; 10am-12:00pm in 54-1615

Prereq: GIR:PHY1, GIR:CAL1
Level: U 6 units Graded P/D/F

Updated January 2012

Program in Atmospheres, Oceans and Climate
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue | Room 54-1614 | Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone 617 . 253 . 7762
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