Abstract

Current global climate models are very capably of simulating the present climate conditions and providing comprehensive projection of the future. Unfortunately, the results of global climate model historical simulations and realistic future projections provide a great deal of information so they ... Show moreCurrent global climate models are very capably of simulating the present climate conditions and providing comprehensive projection of the future. Unfortunately, the results of global climate model historical simulations and realistic future projections provide a great deal of information so they are often difficult to interpret and comprehend. To address this problem, the primary goal of this research was to develop software tools to facilitate the investigation of three-dimensional visualizations of the atmosphere to further our understanding of the Earth’s response and the implications of climate change. Output from the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Parallel Climate Model (NCAR PCM) served as the basis for creating three-dimensional visualization of the atmospheric jet stream circulation. The visualizations of the data (which were interpolated from global observations) were created using the graphics capabilities of the MATLAB© software program. This report describes the process by which we visualized the jet stream in three dimensions using several map projections and then began the examination of the behavioral changes of the jet stream circulation produced by the PCM over a one hundred-year period from approximately 2002 to 2100. Early results indicated that the jet stream would strengthen, move equatorward, and increase in height in both hemispheres. Show less