The Music in the Noise: Understanding Atmospheric Variability and Change
Elizabeth A. Barnes
Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
ABSTRACT: The global atmosphere is a noisy and chaotic place, and we are continually pushing the limits of its predictability. Barnes explores how this “noise” can confound our ability to quantify the atmospheric jet-stream response to a range of climate perturbations, for example, the ozone hole and loss of Arctic sea ice. Barnes provides examples of how the climate community has made use of identical simulations of state-of-the-art climate models to search for the music in the noise and the physical insights that have resulted. Barnes concludes with an example of how, sometimes, the noise can be the music itself.
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