KlimaCampus Colloquium: Successful start with Tim Palmer
4 June 2013, by Ute Kreis
Over 150 researchers flocked into the auditorium of the ZMAW building on Thursday to hear a lecture by Prof. Tim Palmer from Jesus College Oxford on “Five reasons for the Probabilistic Earth System model.Step by step, the internationally renowned expert presented the various mathematical approaches to weather and climate modeling – weighing, examining and discussing their advantages and disadvantages with the climate model experts and researchers in the audience. One of the questions addressed was how to represent small-scale phenomena that are outside the normal computational grid, which means that their effects can only be approximately visualized. Are more supercomputers the answer, or do we need to develop new approaches or set new priorities?
Over 150 researchers flocked into the auditorium of the ZMAW building on Thursday to hear a lecture by Prof. Tim Palmer from Jesus College Oxford on “Five reasons for the Probabilistic Earth System model.Step by step, the internationally renowned expert presented the various mathematical approaches to weather and climate modeling – weighing, examining and discussing their advantages and disadvantages with the climate model experts and researchers in the audience. One of the questions addressed was how to represent small-scale phenomena that are outside the normal computational grid, which means that their effects can only be approximately visualized. Are more supercomputers the answer, or do we need to develop new approaches or set new priorities?
“We are delighted with the lively discussion,” said Prof. Björn Stevens from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. “Self-reflection is an important part of academic work, and this includes critically examining your own ideas and methods.” The co-host and organizer Prof. Detlef Stammer from the University’s Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability agreed that it had been a successful start to this newly initiated colloquium. “Together with the KlimaCampus our goal is to establish a Hamburg-wide platform for climate research cooperation. The enthusiastic response shows that we’re on the right track.”