The work of climate researchers spans a wide range of topics, from measuring the changing atmosphere to documenting its impacts and developing strategies for mitigating or adapting to those changes. For example, scientists who study river flow can help inform decisions about water supply; those who track migratory birds can provide critical information on new threats to human health as the ranges of vector- and pathogen-borne diseases expand.
The emergence of the field of climate science was tied to the development of digital computing, which allowed scientists to simulate the large-scale motions of the atmosphere, oceans and ice sheets using fluid dynamic equations that represent many aspects of the global climate system. Complex computer models—including representations of a broad array of physical processes—remain a mainstay of today’s climate science research.
In addition to studying current climate, climate scientists also investigate climates of the past. These investigations, known as paleoclimatology, use “proxies”—biological properties of materials formed in the past that are interpreted to reflect climate-related variations—such as the ratio of different oxygen isotopes in ice cores or fossilized shells. Other proxies are measured directly, such as tree rings or lake sediments.
Another primary goal of climate science is to predict future long-term climate change. These predictions are typically based on projections from Earth system models. These models are driven by a wide range of data—both from direct observation and reanalysis—that go through various procedures for quality control, correction, synthesis and transformation into gridded data.