Comparing Regional with Global Models in Atmospheric Science

本项目的首席研究员将与美国国家大气研究中心的气候科学家合作，开发一个框架，在比较区域气候模型和全球模型时，促进对“附加价值”概念含义的理解，并解决冲突。核心问题是，相对于全球模型，区域模型是否以及如果是，如何为我们对气候的理解增加价值。区域模式是对洪水、干旱和火灾等具有社会意义的气候事件进行建模的一些主要手段；所以，了解它们的价值是非常重要的。研究人员将置身于气候科学界，并与领先的气候建模者合作，使用哲学概念分析来开发一个先进的框架。拟议的框架将在她进行的初步研究的基础上完善和发展现有框架。然后，她将使用先进的框架来详细分析正在进行的辩论，并在此过程中定义和发展“增值”的各种含义。她将在气候科学和哲学期刊上发表有关这些新框架和分析的文章，澄清目前最令人困惑的地方。她还将运用这些知识为公众发表一篇或多篇文章，敦促人们清楚地了解气候问题及其对我们日常生活的影响。拟议的项目有能力推进有关“增值”概念的哲学知识，尽管它在气候建模中发挥了前沿作用，但目前还没有这方面的知识。通过引入先进的分析框架，并将其应用于关于“增值”主题的各种辩论，将扩大气候科学中有关这一概念的知识。气候学界目前在激烈的讨论中以相互矛盾的方式使用这个术语，几乎没有意识到它的模糊性。PI的目标是通过分析各种辩论中涉及的术语的各种含义，澄清术语使用的不匹配，并通过使用本项目开发的先进框架，敦促更统一的含义和更深入地理解涉及“增值”的各种问题，从而平息这些冲突。研究者与她的气候科学家合著者的合作将涉及各种各样的气候建模者，几乎所有人都参与了气候变化对社会影响的建模。她对“附加价值”概念的澄清和分析，对区域气候模型及其资金和支持的价值至关重要，应该会对那些告诉我们干旱、洪水、森林火灾和其他气候后果的人产生严重影响。

General Audience Summary The Principal Investigator on this project will collaborate with climate scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research to develop a framework to advance understanding and resolve conflict over the meanings of the concept, "value added," when comparing regional climate models to global models. The core questions are whether and, if so, how regional models add value to our understanding of climate with regards to global models. Regional models are some of the primary means available for modeling socially significant climate events such as floods, droughts, and fires, among other events; so, it is very important to understand their value. The investigator will situate herself in the climate science community, and use philosophical conceptual analysis, in collaboration with leading climate modelers, to develop an advanced framework. The proposed framework will refine and develop an existing framework based on a preliminary study that she conducted. She will then use the advanced framework to analyze ongoing debates in detail, and in doing so to define and develop the various meanings of "value added." She will publish articles in both climate science and philosophical journals with these new frameworks and analyses, clarifying where there is now mostly confusion. She will also apply this knowledge towards the publication of one or more articles for the general public, urging clarity about climate issues and their impact on our daily lives.Technical Summary The proposed project has the capacity to advance philosophical knowledge concerning the concept of "value added," of which there is presently none, despite its cutting edge role in climate modeling. Knowledge in climate science concerning this concept will be amplified through the introduction of an advanced analytical framework and its application to a variety of debates on the topic of "value added." The climate community currently uses that term in conflicting ways in heated discussions, with little awareness of its ambiguities. The PI's aim is to cool down these conflicts by analyzing the various meanings of the term involved in the various debates she will examine, clarifying the mismatch of usage of the terms, and through the use of the advanced framework developed through this project, urging more uniformity of meaning and deeper understanding of the various issues engaged in "value added." The investigator's collaboration with her climate scientist co-authors will reach a wide variety of climate modelers, nearly all of who are involved in modeling impacts of climate change on society. Her clarification and analysis of the concept of "value added," central as it is to the value of regional climate models and the funding and support thereof, should have a serious impact on those who inform us about droughts, floods, forest fires, and other climate consequences.