atmospheric general circulation model

An atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) is a complex theoretical model used to investigate Earth's climate system. These models simulate the behavior of the atmosphere, oceans, and ice, considering factors like solar radiation, temperature, humidity, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, and wind.12

The simplest models focus on energy balance, while more complex ones solve for radiative balance and the laws of motion governing different components of the climate system. GCMs often divide Earth's surface into grid cells to represent physical processes, though smaller "sub-grid-scale" processes like clouds are handled statistically.2

Pioneering work in this field was done by Syukuro Manabe, who developed the first credible 3D climate model of the atmosphere in 1967 and later coupled ocean and atmosphere models. These models are crucial for understanding climate variability and predicting global warming scenarios.3