Theory and models of the atmospheric general circulation

大气环流理论和模型

• 批准号: 293289-2009
• 负责人: Kushner, Paul
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2009-01-01 至 2010-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=427396
• 关键词: Theory; models; atmospheric; general; circulation

The Earth's atmosphere is an environment that we are constantly immersed in but that we understand in a surprisingly limited way. We experience the atmosphere's circulation directly when we are exposed to wind and precipitation; we experience it indirectly through satellite images that reveal our local weather as part of global-scale patterns; and we even experience it virtually through computer-generated weather forecasts. But does experiencing the atmospheric circulation in various ways mean that we understand it? Not really: even scientists who devote their lives to studying the atmosphere must come to terms with how difficult it is to understand fully. So an important long-term project is to develop a theory for the "atmospheric general circulation", which consists of the patterns of surface temperature and winds, the jet streams, and so on. Think of the atmosphere as a physical system controlled by inputs including the amounts of sunlight received at different places, the composition of the atmosphere and the land surface. Atmospheric science aims to develop a theory for the atmospheric general circulation that would help us understand this system and its past behaviour, and its predict its future response to natural and human-induced change.

地球的大气层是一个我们一直沉浸在其中的环境，但我们对它的了解却令人惊讶地有限。当我们暴露在风和降水中时，我们直接体验到大气的循环；我们通过卫星图像间接地体验到气候变化，这些图像将我们当地的天气作为全球尺度模式的一部分；我们甚至可以通过电脑生成的天气预报来体验它。但是，以各种方式体验大气环流就意味着我们理解了它吗？事实并非如此：即使是毕生致力于研究大气的科学家也必须承认，全面了解大气是多么困难。因此，一个重要的长期项目是发展“大气环流”理论，它由地表温度、风、急流等模式组成。把大气想象成一个由输入控制的物理系统，这些输入包括不同地方接收到的阳光的数量、大气的成分和陆地表面。大气科学的目标是发展一种大气环流理论，帮助我们理解这个系统及其过去的行为，并预测其未来对自然和人为变化的反应。