Computing the Climate: How We Know What We Know About Climate Change

by Steve M. Easterbrook

How do we know that climate change is an emergency? How did the scientific community reach this conclusion all but unanimously, and what tools did they use to do it? This book tells the story of climate models, tracing their history from nineteenth-century calculations on the effects of greenhouse gases, to modern Earth system models that integrate the atmosphere, the oceans, and the land using the full resources of today's most powerful supercomputers. Drawing on the author's extensive visits to the world's top climate research labs, this accessible, non-technical book shows how computer models help to build a more complete picture of Earth's climate system. 'Computing the Climate' is ideal for anyone who has wondered where the projections of future climate change come from – and why we should believe them.

345 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 24, 2023

Reviews

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very solid attempt to make a pretty dry, technical, *important* topic interesting and accessible. In short, how do we “know” what climate models tell us (and what they can’t tell us) about the future of our climate?

Among other things, it goes pretty deep on:
- the history of climate analysis - very interesting for anyone who likes a good popular history of science!
- deep on the techniques - admittedly even my eyes glazed over here from time to time, but skimmable
- deep on the quality assurance processes that make sure it is all correct - I found this entrancing but I am a former quality assurance engineer!

I definitely recommend this for anyone in software who is curious about the software engineering parts of climatology. In particular, software developers will appreciate interesting observations on how codebases evolve over time, what testing even means at this scale, etc.

For non-developers, this may be somewhat frustrating - the author is clearly trying to make this esoteric topic accessible to a general audience but, as someone deep in the weeds myself, it is hard for me to know whether or not he succeeds.

[Darius Daugvila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple book which tried and managed to tell the story of climate models from early ones to current one.

Will leave the conclusion by giving a cittation from the author:
“If I am an challenged to offer guidancw, I say three most important things any of us can do about climate change are, first, to talk about it; second, to get political; and third, to make it your job”

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book at a time when I was skeptical about accepting what scientists said about climate change without understanding the science behind it myself. Dr. Easterbrook, with his deep roots in System Thinking and Software Engineering, has a knack for breaking down the most complex climate models into digestible pieces. This book isn't just for the experts; it's for anyone curious about the world around them, making the science behind climate change approachable and, dare I say, fascinating.

For those of you who are in the early stages of your research careers or perhaps neck-deep in graduate studies, this book might just be the lighthouse you need. It certainly was for me - this book helped me build the required interdisciplinary knowledge about climate models that ultimately translated into my independent doctoral research in Computer Science.

Dr. Easterbrook goes beyond the traditional academic discourse by bringing us along on his visits to leading climate and weather forecasting labs across the globe. Steve makes the science colloquially palatable by not only embodying an engaging writing style but also focusing on what readers struggle with and making it easy to understand, making you feel as if you're unraveling the mysteries of the climate alongside him.

Take Chapter Four, Chaos Theory, for instance. I’d say it’s the most difficult concept to make accessible to readers without prior knowledge, but Steve skillfully describes the three-body problem and a dishpan experiment to gently ease the readers into Global Circulation Models. At this point, the reader knows the complexity of predicting an indeterministic system, yet the reader has the hope that although limits on predictability exist, these systems can be approximated well by studying their characteristic patterns.

What truly resonates with me is Easterbrook's talent for storytelling, along with providing detailed footnotes and references for someone ready to dive deep into these concepts. He introduces us to the giants on whose shoulders modern climate science stands—not as untouchable geniuses but as real, passionate individuals driven to solve a particular problem. Take, for instance, the story of Carl Gustaf Rossby. Even though he couldn't contribute directly to von Neumann’s climate simulation project, he helped his friend gather a brilliant team of young meteorologists.

Every chapter of this book is meticulously crafted, letting you grasp the grandeur of climate model development while appreciating the intricate details of each milestone.

As we are living in a climate crisis, 'Computing the Climate' becomes more than just a book; it's a journey into the heart of climate science, guided by a storyteller who makes you feel at home amidst the complexity. Whether you're a skeptic, a student, or someone simply looking to understand our world a little better, this book has something for you. It certainly did for me, and I hope it does the same for you. As the author writes, "to find out why, read on!"