Description of Project

     The use of grid computing in today's data driven society has become one of the greatest resources for scientists and mathematician's alike. The ability to decipher large amounts of raw data gathered from millions of individual users computers has become an excellent way for scattered scientific research to be pieced together. This new process is allowing scientists to sort through data in a matter of months, something that would have taken many years to collect and interpret in the past. According to the World Community Grid, it has already led to many new drug treatments, such as 44 different treatments for the smallpox disease. While new grids are being created at an increasing rate, we have chosen a well-established grid concerned with the current findings of the changing climate (climateprediction.net) and will be basing our study off of the results that the grid produces. 
       
     Climate change has become a major topic of discussion not only in the realm of science, but politics as well. There are a number of indicators that are associated with changes in the climate. Some of these indicators include carbon dioxide concentration, global temperature, Arctic Sea ice, land ice, and sea level (NASA). For instance, carbon dioxide levels are rapidly increasing along with global temperature. While at the same time, Arctic Sea ice and land ice are shrinking by the year which has caused sea levels to rise. These changes are thought to be a result of increased human activity since the Industrial Revolution. Large amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the air producing what is known as the “greenhouse effect”. According to NASA, the greenhouse effect is "warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from earth toward space". Shifts in the global indicators cause major changes in the climate.


Picture #1: Rising Global Temperatures

     Climate change produces a number of effects, some positive but most negative. It affects regions differently, but a continued rise in global temperatures is expected (NASA). Changing weather patterns can have an impact on agriculture. Future impacts are expected to become even worse. Consequently, "Many places have seen changes in rainfall, resulting in more floods, droughts, or intense rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves" (EPA). However, climate change has sparked a large increase in awareness and steps are being made to lower the rate of change. Research about changes in climate have exploded over recent years and more answers and alternatives are continuously being brought to the table. Our grid hopes to provide more of these answers and alternatives and hopefully become a stepping stone in the climate change solution. 

 Picture #2: Visualization of the 2007 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum


http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org

http://climate.nasa.gov/index

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html

http://www2.ucar.edu/news/backgrounders/understanding-climate-change-global-warming

Picture #1 & #2: http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence