Before we can adapt to a warmer world, we have to know what kinds of changes to expect. Large-scale models help us to predict the climate 20, 50 or a hundred years from now. Although climate modeling is extremely complex (and often contentious!) this video should give you a basic sense for how climate models are made and used.
Plus, it has drawings that I created myself on Microsoft Paint! Really, what more could you ask for?
Upcoming installments (in blog post or video form): ensemble models, regional downscaling, and specific impacts predicted for Peru.
Photo / Video Credits:
Spinning Earth: USGS Public Domain Multimedia Gallery http://gallery.usgs.gov/
FAR, SAR, TAR, AR4 images: IPCC 2007
Supercomputer Image: NASA (in public domain)
Temperature Graphs: IPCC 2007
Cloud Formations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWpKK4_tYac under Creative Commons license
Moving Cloud Image: NASA (in public domain)
Emissions Scenarios Graphs: IPCC 2007
