Earth system music: music generated from the United Kingdom Earth System Model (UKESM1)

Scientific data are almost always represented graphically in figures or in videos. With the ever-growing interest from the general public in understanding climate sciences, it is becoming increasingly important that scientists present this information in ways that are both accessible and engaging to non-experts. In this pilot study, we use time series data from the first United Kingdom Earth System Model (UKESM1) to create six procedurally generated musical pieces. Each of these pieces presents a unique aspect of the ocean component of the UKESM1, either in terms of a scientific principle or a practical aspect of modelling. In addition, each piece is arranged using a different musical progression, style and tempo. These pieces were created in the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) format and then performed by a digital piano synthesiser. An associated video showing the time development of the data in time with the music was also created. The music and video were published on the lead author's YouTube channel. A brief description of the methodology was also posted alongside the video. We also discuss the limitations of this pilot study and describe several approaches to extend and expand upon this work

Scenario choice impacts carbon allocation projection at global warming levels

We show that the distribution of anthropogenic carbon between the atmosphere, land surface, and ocean differs with the choice of projection scenario even for identical changes in mean global surface tempera- ture. Warming thresholds occur later in lower-CO2-emissions scenarios and with less carbon in the three main reservoirs than in higher-CO2-emissions scenarios. At 2 ◦C of warming, the mean carbon allocation differs by up to 63 PgC between scenarios, which is equivalent to approximately 6 years of the current global total emissions. At the same warming level, higher-CO2-concentration scenarios have a lower combined ocean and land carbon allocation fraction of the total carbon compared to lower-CO2-concentration scenarios. The warming response to CO2, quantified as the equilibrium climate sensitivity, ECS, directly impacts the global warming level exceedance year and hence the carbon allocation. Low-ECS models have more carbon than high-ECS models at a given warming level because the warming threshold occurs later, allowing more emissions to accumulate. These results are important for carbon budgets and mitigation strategies as they impact how much carbon the ocean and land surface could absorb at a given warming level. Carbon budgeting will be key to reducing the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, and these findings could have critical consequences for policies aimed at reaching net zero

The carbonate system in the North Sea: Sensitivity and model validation

The ocean plays an important role in regulating the climate, acting as a sink for carbon dioxide, perturbing the carbonate system and resulting in a slow decrease of seawater pH. Understanding the dynamics of the carbonate system in shelf sea regions is necessary to evaluate the impact of Ocean Acidification (OA) in these societally important ecosystems. Complex hydrodynamic and ecosystem coupled models provide a method of capturing the significant heterogeneity of these areas. However rigorous validation is essential to properly assess the reliability of such models. The coupled model POLCOMS–ERSEM has been implemented in the North Western European shelf with a new parameterization for alkalinity explicitly accounting for riverine inputs and the influence of biological processes. The model has been validated in a like with like comparison with North Sea data from the CANOBA dataset. The model shows good to reasonable agreement for the principal variables, physical (temperature and salinity), biogeochemical (nutrients) and carbonate system (dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity), but simulation of the derived variables, pH and pCO2, are not yet fully satisfactory. This high uncertainty is attributed mostly to riverine forcing and primary production. This study suggests that the model is a useful tool to provide information on Ocean Acidification scenarios, but uncertainty on pH and pCO2 needs to be reduced, particularly when impacts of OA on ecosystem functions are included in the model systems

Biomedical Informatics : Computer Applications in Health Care and Biomedicine

Biomedical Informatic