|
Climate change is recognized as one of the leading scientific problems of our generation. Indeed, the impact of climate change now pervades both scientific and political discussions throughout the world. The University of Washington is one of the leading institutions in the world attempting to address this issue from a methodical and scientific point of view. Earth's climate has changed rapidly over the past few decades, as it has done repeatedly in episodes of the distant past. Our industrial society has raised carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the highest level in the past 20 million years and "global warming" is a reality. However, the changing environments of atmosphere, ocean, and land surface far outstrip the simple fact of global warming. Widespread effects are already emerging, from the melting of the Polar ice and thawing of permafrost to intensification of major storms and droughts. Coastal regions of the world are seeing the compounding nonlinear effects of global change. Earth's habitability is threatened as many ecosystems, as well as humanity, struggle to adapt. The consequences of even a modest warming may be full of surprise in future climate response. Indeed, 'abrupt climate change' events are a consistent feature in the paleorecord. The aim of this program is to provide an intensive experience in the mathematical sciences which highlights some of the scientific models being considered for understanding global weather patterns and climate dynamics. |