Computing the Climate, the book to be released next week by University of Toronto professor Steve Easterbrook takes readers on a journey through the long history of climate science and draws from the extensive experience of Easterbook when visiting climate modelling labs. In the book, the readers can expect to gain a high-level understanding of the core concepts in climate science, the transformative power of new technology and data science, as well as the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. With the foundational knowledge of climate science, readers are encouraged to research more, as well as find ways to apply their unique skills and knowledge to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in the modern day.
Prof. Easterbrook’s expertise was initially in software engineering and he has helped large corporations like Microsoft and IBM develop large systems. However, in addition to his pursuits in the fields of computer science and software engineering, he was always an environmentalist at heart and being involved in environmental organizations during his studies. The itch to work on something meaningful and to contribute to solving the issues regarding the climate crisis led him to combine his expertise with his passion for the environment. During his tenure at the University of Toronto, he got the chance to delve deep into the large systems of climate modelling, contribute to research in this area and visit climate modelling labs around the world.
How does building large systems and big data relate to climate science?
“I noticed that there was a large overlap in building large systems for corporations and designing accurate climate models,” he says. “In essence, climate science is a big data problem. The climate models are simulations of the whole planet, the atmosphere, oceans, vegetation, ice sheets, all interacting with each other.” In addition, the models have data points for multiple atmospheric and oceanic levels and take into account 30 to 40 years of satellite data. With all these exabytes of data, the use of the most advanced technology and advances in big data is immensely important.
How do the advances in AI help to create more accurate models?
An illustrative example of the usefulness of AI is predicting the formation of clouds. “Predicting the formation of clouds is one of the biggest sources of uncertainty as it relies on variables such as dust in the atmosphere, humidity and winds,” he explains. “It is essentially a microphysics problem being solved on a large scale.” So the predictive power of AI could be of huge help in reducing the errors in calculations and producing more accurate climate models. The opportunities of implementing AI on similar problems are almost limitless and are a topic of research for many large organizations in the private and public sectors.
What is the impact of the climate models and how do they help tackle the climate crisis?
There are multiple areas in which the climate models are helpful for tackling the climate crisis. “Accurate climate models help with planning: by knowing about the occurrences of hurricanes and the future impacts of flooding, as well as which cities are going to be affected allows to better plan the cities to make sure we are ready for the changes in climate,” Prof. Easterbrook explains. Another aspect of the usefulness of the climate models is that it allows to take accountable governments, international organizations and corporations in their efforts to cut emissions. “For example, if we wish to keep the global warming below the two degrees as agreed in the Paris Agreement, how quickly do we have to take action and what are the consequences we do not?” he brings an example of the usefulness of the simulations. Taking into account the different scenarios in climate modelling helps inform the policies shaping the future of the climate.
For the students currently concerned about climate change and eager to contribute to solving the problems in this area, what would be your advice to them?
“My biggest piece of advice is to take courses outside of your department,” he says. Interdisciplinary learning is important in many areas of climate science and taking courses outside of your program’s area can teach to communicate with different audiences. In addition to that, it is important to find an area you are truly passionate about and thinking where can you bring the unique skills to tackle a challenge. With the issues relating to the climate change being so multifaceted and covering so many different fields, there are numerous opportunities to apply your own unique perspective, as well as think independently and creatively where those skills could be needed. Given the usefulness of technology in climate science, students with technical backgrounds, in particular, can play a crucial role in improving climate models and addressing various climate-related issues.
What can readers find in the book “Computing the Climate” and what do you see as the biggest takeaway for the audience?
“Having taught the course on climate modelling the initial idea was to make this content more available and base the book on the lectures given at the University of Toronto,” he explains. The addition of his own personal story and experiences of visiting different climate labs combines the thorough exploration of the field with relatable storytelling, fitting for those interested in getting a foundational overview of climate modelling. “I hope that the biggest takeaway for the readers is an intuitive understanding of how do we really know how climate change is affecting us and relate the broader scope of climate science to their own work and expertise,” he says.