General Circulation Models: Applications for Nuclear Waste Repositories

by Wayne M. Wendland, Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: High Level Radioactive Waste Management 1991

Abstract:

Numerical models have long been used to relate causal and response functions in the natural environment. Some 20 years ago, one-dimensional, multi-causal models of earth temperature evolved, providing a means to predict temperature as a function of change in solar output, greenhouse gases, etc. Depending upon the model, warming predictions due to greenhouse varied from about 0.7 to 2.9?C (Schneider, 1975). The advent of fast computers with large memories has permitted the development of three dimensional general circulation models (GCMs) which generate a variety of climate parameters for the earth's surface, based on a radiation budget, atmospheric constituents, the resulting general circulation, and certain specified meteorological parameters. Such models are playing a prominent role in day-to-day forecasting, and modeling the effect of double current CO₂ concentrations on the spatial and temporal distribution and magnitude of temperature and precipitation.

Subject Headings: Numerical models | Mathematical models | Radioactive wastes | Water circulation | Three-dimensional models | Thermal pollution | Temperature effects

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