Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Going back to basics

Nature Climate Change volume 4, pages 1042–1045 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Climate models have increased in complexity over time as more processes have been included. Now we need to return to the underpinning basics in the models and ensure they are the best they can be.

All predictions and projections of weather and climate from days to centuries ahead fundamentally rely on models of the atmosphere, ocean and land, increasingly including representations of biological and chemical processes. Much of our scientific enquiry in climate science makes use of the same set of tools, which are collectively referred to as climate models. Lives and property are saved every day by the application of weather models, and climate model results underpin major planning decisions for our future.

Access options

Rent or Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

from$8.99

Rent or Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Figure 1

References

  1. 1

    Holton, J. R. & Hakim, G. J. An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology (Elsevier, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  2. 2

    Haltiner, G. J. & Williams, R. T. Numerical Prediction and Dynamic Meteorology (Wiley, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  3. 3

    Stensrud, D. J. Parameterization Schemes — Keys to Understanding Numerical Weather Prediction Models (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. 4

    Mauritsen, T. et al. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst. 4, M00A01 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. 5

    Implementation Plan of the Global Framework for Climate Services (World Meteorological Organization, 2014).

  6. 6

    Flato, G. M. et al. in Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis (eds Stocker, T. F. et al.) 741–866 (IPCC, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2013).

    Google Scholar 

  7. 7

    Reichler, T. & Kim, J. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 89, 303–311 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. 8

    Stevens, B. & Bony, S. Science 340, 1053–1054 (2013).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  9. 9

    Dufresne, J-L. & Bony, S. J. Clim. 21, 5135–5144 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. 10

    Stephens, G. L. et al. J. Geophys. Res. 115, D24211 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. 11

    Jakob, C. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 91, 869–875 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. 12

    Medeiros, B., Stevens, B. & Bony, S. Clim. Dynam. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2138-0 (2014).

Download references

Acknowledgements

This commentary is the result of many discussions with colleagues and friends. I'd like to thank all of them, none more so than Bjorn Stevens, Pier Siebesma and Sandrine Bony.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Christian Jakob is at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science

    Christian Jakob

  2. School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment

    Christian Jakob

  3. Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    Christian Jakob

Authors
  1. Christian Jakob
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Jakob.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jakob, C. Going back to basics. Nature Clim Change 4, 1042–1045 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2445

Download citation

Further reading

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing