Descriptive physical oceanography seeks to research the ocean through observations and
complex numerical models, which describe the fluid motions as precisely as possible.
It's no secret that models — not just of climate, but * all *
complex numerical models!
Climate models are
complex numerical models based on physics that amount to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lines of computer code to model Earth's past, present and future.
Not exact matches
He uses a combination of analytic and simple
numerical models to build physical intuition for
complex phenomena.
For so many inputs and
complex interractions, such large
numerical models (which means A LOT of
numerical approximations — even on supercomputers), clearly the fact that they more or less fit the 20th century temperature is not enought.
Experience with solution algorithms, data assimilation methods and tools, coupling of components and processes, nonlinear and linear solvers, limiters, and / or other
numerical issues common with
complex codes within earth system
models of varying complexity
I'd be curious to know what quantative information you use to track what seems to me to be scores of sources of
model and
numerical errors in such a
complex computer code as you are describing here.
JIGSAW (GEO) is a set of algorithms designed to generate
complex, variable resolution unstructured meshes for geophysical
modelling applications, including: global ocean and atmospheric simulation,
numerical weather prediction, coastal ocean
modelling and ice - sheet dynamics.
Among other reasons, small errors in the
numerical modelling of
complex processes have a nasty habit of accumulating with time.
It is, imho, not justified once the
numerical model becomes
complex enough, because the most part of the
model is not from fundamental laws, but from
numerical approximations, parametrisation, and a lot of interraction between different modules and physics.
I explore ideas using hierarchies of idealized atmosphere - ocean
models, ranging from simple mathematical descriptions to
complex coupled
numerical calculations.