The call was a presentation by Lloyd Treinish
IBM Distinguished Engineer
Chief Scientist – Climate and Weather, and Environmental Modelling
Head, Atmospheric Science
Slides are available to those on our Slack. Let me know if you’d like an invite!
Here is a brief summary:
- Introduction to Weather and Climate Modeling: Lloyd discussed the use of numerical models to simulate and predict weather and climate patterns. These models rely on complex mathematical equations and simulations to make forecasts.
- Open-Source Weather Models: Lloyd highlighted the importance of open-source weather models, such as the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System (MPAS). These open-source models are widely used in the research and forecasting community.
- Community Collaboration: IBM actively participates in the open-source weather modeling community. They collaborate with other researchers and organizations to contribute to and improve open-source weather models.
- Comparison with Proprietary Models: Lloyd explained that IBM chooses to collaborate with open-source projects rather than developing proprietary weather models because it ensures credibility within the scientific community. While IBM may have proprietary components or services, collaborating with open-source projects provides a strong foundation for scientific research.
- Applications of Weather Models: Weather models have a wide range of applications, including short-term weather forecasting, climate modeling, environmental monitoring, and more. Lloyd provided examples of projects related to water resources and lake watersheds.
- Customizing Weather Models: IBM customizes open-source weather models for specific applications. They focus on high-resolution modeling, down to tens of meters, to address various environmental and climate-related challenges.
- Hybrid Models: IBM uses hybrid models that combine open-source models like WRF and MPAS to achieve computational efficiency and better results in certain applications.
- Urban Climate Modeling: Lloyd discussed a project focused on urban climate modeling and environmental justice. By using hybrid models and variable resolution, they can efficiently model climate impacts in urban areas.
- Social and Community Aspect: IBM actively participates in scientific conferences and meetings related to open-source weather modeling. This engagement demonstrates their commitment to the community and collaborative research.
- Open-Source Licensing: Both WRF and MPAS have open-source licenses, making them accessible to the community and allowing for contributions and collaboration.
Overall, the presentation highlighted the importance of open-source weather modeling, collaboration with the scientific community, and the diverse applications of weather models in addressing environmental and climate challenges.