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Setup Simulations

Experiments are designed within a feature called "Setup Simulations". This window is an interface for manipulating the GCM itself, with well-defined fields for entering the names of input files and setting initial boundary conditions for each experiment. The interface is divided into several logical sections, each of which the educator can show or hide depending upon which components of the GCM they want to be the focus of study. “Point and click” controls for choosing a variety of modeling options (e.g., number of simulated years per experiment, levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, orbital parameters, and paleocontinental configurations) are available within each section.

The selection of the Setup Simulations window introduces a set of controls at the base of the toolbar. These controls make it simple to create new simulations, copy existing simulations for modification, or delete unwanted simulations. The Simulation Summary button in the toolbar creates a detailed listing of all files and forcings used for a selected simulation, which can be saved as a text file and printed if desired.

The Make Scenario button in the toolbar is a special feature for designing a specific simulation “template” for classroom assignments. Once a simulation has been created, clicking the Make Scenario button locks the various sections of the Setup Simulation window either open (for further modification by the students) or closed (to prevent unwanted changes to input files or certain forcings). When students run the scenario (by hitting the play button) a duplicate is created and they are asked to assign a unique name to their simulation. They may then edit sections as allowed by the template. This feature is most useful in the case where the teacher wants groups of students to run simulations that are variations on a given topic, e.g., global warming experiments using different levels of carbon

The last two buttons on the toolbar in Setup Simulations – Link to eJournals and View Links – allow the user to associate a given simulation with one or more eJournal reports in the database, or to view existing eJournal reports in the eJournal Library.

With the guidance of the Setup Simulations window, educators and students can easily run experiments that simulate a wide variety of climates, from future global warming to past ice ages. Endless “thought” experiments are also possible, to test the sensitivity of the climate to hypothetical changes in solar luminosity or greenhouse gas levels. Examples of past, present and future climate simulations are provided with EdGCM, and may either be run directly, or copied and modified within Setup Simulations to produce an array of related experiments. The new interface allows such detailed control over model functions that EdGCM arguably has more user-definable capabilities than does the original GCM.