Climatologists Call For Investment in Computing Power to Improve Modeling

Ramping up computing power for climate modeling can help researchers better understand and predict meteorological phenomena around the world, answer policy questions about the impact of climate change, and save lives from natural catastrophes. This was the consensus of climatologists gathered for a recent summit in the United Kingdom, but these computational advances will require a greater investment in computer resources in order to revolutionize climate modeling. According to Nature, climate researchers are calling for a new multi-billion dollar facility with computing power several orders of magnitude greater than what is currently available. Increasing computing power will allow for higher resolution modeling, enabling better predictions of hurricane activity and climate change, argued scientists.

Conference attendees also called for funds to keep top computer programmers in climate modeling, as many are finding it more difficult to resist the financial rewards and job security that companies like Google can provide. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, told summit attendees that if climatologists hope to secure federal funding, they must be able to answer key questions about climate change that politicians would find useful in policy making. As conference chair Jagadish Shukla put it, “If we just ask for enhanced understanding, then we have very little chance of getting the necessary funding.”

Chris Mooney recently explained how Cyclone Nargis demonstrated the need to understand and predict meteorological phenomena around the world—better modeling can protect settlements and save lives. Policy makers can provide scientists with the necessary tools.

Tags: Climate Change, computer science, environment

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