科学家们用他们建立的理论来诠释古气候数据记录、理解现代气候,并预测未来几年到几十年的气候变化。为了检验气候理论,来自NASA戈达德空间科学研究所(GISS)和其他地方的科学家正在建立强有力的数学模型,用来模拟地球和大气条件的变化是如何影响气候的。最先进的模型将地球表述为三维网格,把大气层分为10个网格层,每层包括65000个格点。科学家可以用计算模型算出二氧化碳浓度增加和空气污染在每个格点上的效应。这些地球气候系统的高精度模型需要在超级计算机上运行。 Using the theories they have built, scientists interpret paleoclimate data records, understand the modern climate and predict climate change over the coming years and decades. To test climate theory, scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Science (GISS) and elsewhere are building strong mathematical models that simulate how climate and climate changes affect the climate. The most advanced model describes the earth as a three-dimensional grid, which divides the atmosphere into 10 grid layers, each of which contains 65,000 grid points. Scientists can use computational models to figure out the effects of increased carbon dioxide concentrations and air pollution at each grid point. High-precision models of these Earth’s climate systems need to run on supercomputers.