EdGCM: Bringing a NASA Global Climate Model to the classroom

1
Enhancing Climate EducationThrough Climate
Modeling Research Projects
The EdGCM Cooperative Project TeamColumbia
University and the NASA Goddard Institute for
Space Studies
Support provided by NASAs Earth Science programs
and the NSF Paleoclimate Program
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
2
EdGCM Project Goal

• To improve the teaching and learning of climate
• change science by providing the education
  community with access to

1. A research quality global climate model (GCM)
2. A user-friendly interface to operate the GCM and
   organize the results
3. Educational materials to make the GCM a useful
   tool for learning about the climate system

Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
3
EdGCMEducational Global Climate Model
WHAT is a GCM and WHY use one in the classroom?
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
4
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
5
Cartesian Grid General Circulation Models
(Henderson-Sellers, 1985)
(Hansen et al., 1983)
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
6
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
7
8X 10
4X 5
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
2X 2.5
GISS Global Climate Model Grid Resolutions
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
8
EdGCM Project Objectives

1. Allow teachers to run a NASA global climate model
   on a desktop computer, encouraging students to
   participate in the full scientific process
   including experiment design, running
   simulations, analyzing data and reporting results.

Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
9
EdGCM Project Objectives

1. Allow teachers to run a NASA global climate model
   on a desktop computer, encouraging students to
   participate in the full scientific process
   including experiment design, running
   simulations, analyzing data and reporting
   results.
2. Facilitate collaborations between the education
   community and research institutions and among
   secondary schools and universities. In this way,
   students will become familiar with the role that
   teamwork plays in scientific research.

Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
10
Organizing and Designing Scientific Experiments
Step 1 Setting Up Climate Model Simulations
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
11
Snowball_sim2.R Model II 8/24/2000Owner Dr.
Mark Chandler, chandler_at_giss.nasa.govGroup
Paleoclimate GroupThis experiment simulates a
time period approximately 600 million years ago.
There is evidence that a super ice age occurred
that effected even tropical continents. Did the
Earth freeze over entirely???Object
modulesMainC9DiagC9RadC9FFTC9UTILC9Data
input files7G8X10_600Ma9NOV1910.rsf_snowball
15O8X10_600Ma1725Modern_OceanTransports19CD
8X10_600Ma23V8X10_600Ma26Z8X101_600Ma21RTAU.
G25L1522RPLK2529Snowball_Earth_RegionsLabel
and NamelistSnowball_sim2 (Snowball Earth
Experiment 600 million years ago)

INPUTZ TAUI10176.,IYEAR1900
, KOCEAN1, SRCOR.95485638151,
S0X1.,CO2.31746031746031, USET0.,TAUE35040.,
USESLP-12., ISTART3,KCOPY2,NDPRNT-1,TAUE
10177.,TAUP95616., END
From here
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
12
to here
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
13
Analyzing the Results of Scientific Experiments
Step 2 Post-processing of raw GCM output Step
3 Visualization of climate model variables
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
14
Plotshop
Plotshop
Maps
Maps
Panoply
Panoply
Line Plots
Line Plots
Tables
Tables
Excel
Excel
From here
15
to here
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
16

• The EdGCM website is a focal point for
  collaborations, which will allow for
• Downloads of EdGCM software, materials, and
  updates
• Simulation exchanges
• Discussion groups
• A location to publish results
• http//www.edgcm.org

Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
17
Reporting Results of Scientific Experiments
Step 4 Generating scientific-style
manuscripts Step 5 Publishing and presenting
results
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
18
eJournals
Image Libraries
From here
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
19
to here
Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005
20
A Few Final Points

• EdGCM is designed to support a broad range of
  National Education Standards (www.edgcm.org/standa
  rds1.php).
• On-line Materials
• Technical manual
• Downloads (EdGCM software, simulations,
  eJournals).
• Educational Products
• Teachers Guides
• Curriculum Modules
• Immersion Units (SCALE Program)

Earth2Class, LDEO, Sept. 17, 2005