Research on Modeling Large Scale Dynamical Effects on Climate

在太阳系外行星气候、当前和过去的太阳系行星气候以及深时间地球气候的驱动下，将进行广泛的气候动力学研究。这类问题的一个共同特征是关注从有趣的流体力学效应到有趣的新辐射传递、新热力学或新地球化学效应的耦合中出现的集体行为。具体的问题包括云层和亚饱和对失控的温室的影响，围绕m -矮星的超级地球的气候，以及高度偏心轨道上行星的季节周期。与新元古代地球气候相关的问题包括：沙尘/冰/气候耦合演化对雪球地球冰川消融的影响、二氧化碳凝结的动力学效应以及后雪球时代温室气候的性质。此外，还将开展若干与人为地球气候变化有关的调查，包括与利用过去的山地-冰川范围进行古温度学有关的模拟，调查导致气候高敏感性的反馈的物理性质，以及继续发展大气湿度的随机模式。该项目的更广泛影响包括促进人力资源开发，以解决地球上气候变化方面的紧迫问题。太阳系外行星气候所提出的新奇而富有想象力的问题，是激励各个职业水平的数学家、物理学家和天体物理学家参与大气物理和动力学基本问题的有效途径。证明基本物理原理在不同气候的星球上普遍适用，有助于公众建立对全球变暖预测所依据的物理学的信心；此外，对这些问题的好奇心驱动的研究可以在辐射传输模型等方面带来意想不到的进步，并有助于动摇可能与地球气候有关的新想法。最后，通过对可居住性的理解，这项研究满足了人类对探索和理解人类在宇宙中的位置的根深蒂固的需求，就像宇宙学的研究一样。

A broad range of climate dynamics research motivated by extra-solar planet climate, current and past Solar System planetary climate, and deep-time Earth climate will be pursued. A common feature of this class of problems is the focus on collective behavior emerging from coupling of interesting fluid mechanical effects to interesting effects from novel radiative transfer, novel thermodynamics, or novel geochemistry. Specific problems include the effects of clouds and subsaturation on the runaway greenhouse, the climate of Super-Earths about M-dwarf stars, and the seasonal cycles of planets in highly eccentric orbits. Problems related to the Neoproterozoic climate of Earth include the effect of coupled dust/ice/climate evolution on deglaciation of the Snowball Earth, the dynamical effects of carbon-dioxide condensation, and the nature of the post-Snowball hothouse climate. In addition, several investigations bearing on anthropogenic Earth climate change will be carried out, including modeling related to the use of past mountain-glacier extent in paleothermometry, investigations of the physical nature of feedbacks leading to high climate sensitivity, and continued development of stochastic models of atmospheric humidity.Broader impacts of this project include contributions to human resources development for addressing pressing problems in climate change on Earth. The novel and imaginative problems suggested by extra-solar planet climate are an effective way to motivate mathematicians, physicists and astrophysicists at all career levels to get involved in basic problems in atmospheric physics and dynamics. The demonstration of the universal applicability of basic physical principles across planets with diverse climates helps the public to build confidence in the physics on which forecasts of global warming are based; moreover, the curiosity-driven research on such problems can lead to unanticipated advances in things like radiative transfer modeling and can help shake loose new ideas that may relate to Earth climate. Finally, by contributing to the understanding of habitability, the research serves a deep-seated human need for exploration and understanding the place of humanity in the Universe, in much the same was as does research on cosmology.