Climate Models (Week 5) - Post 3

Climate Models
My Thoughts
          This week I learned about climate models. One of my favorite things about this course is how extensively they cover their subjects. I learned about every factor of climate models, including some very complex factors and ideas. Fortunately, the course is aware that most of its' students are not environmental science experts, so it goes at a very friendly pace. Each week I begin that week's module knowing next to nothing about the topic, but by the end I can talk in-depth about every factor of the topic. I learned a lot about climate change and how it relates to climate models this week. As it turns out, climate models play a much larger role in what we know about climate change then most people think. A large portion of what we know about the past climate and all of the information we know about the future climate has been determined by climate models. I also learned that more than anything else, climate models are just lines of code programmed into a computer. The more I learn about climate change, the more I am interested in pursuing it as a career, however this week made me more aware of how much computer programming I would need to know. This is not a bad thing for me, as I would not mind learning fortran; it's just nice to know this when considering what I choose to major in. I really enjoyed the learning this week, and I am happy that I now have a clearer picture of what exactly a climate scientist does in their career.  
          As part of the learning this week, I was able to actually see and use real life climate models created by climate scientists, so I really do not have any questions referring to the validity of the models and their outputted data. I would like to take a closer look however, at fortran, because it plays a such a major role in climate models. I know fortran was used to program the IBM machine at NASA, which helped with the calculations used to put the first man on the moon, but I want to know more about what exactly fortran is and, what it can do.

Comments

  1. Ms. DunleyMarch 20, 2018 at 6:52 AM

    I love that the course is helping you think about career options!

    ReplyDelete

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