Yawei Chen
Climate Sensitivity Modelling
Previous studies have analyzed data on the temperature and rainfall to obtain trends in climate. Climate sensitivity is commonly defined as the equilibrium global mean surface temperature change that occurs in response to doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentration. Scientifically, CO2 in atmosphere absorbs energy from the earth that would otherwise be re-emitted back to space and so traps heat. Therefore, increasing CO2 is believed to cause global warming. This project aims to model climate sensitivity using a simple model with coupled partial differential equations for CO2 concentration and temperature. Develop a model comprising coupled advection-diffusion partial differential equations for CO2 concentration and temperature and solve the partial differential equations with MATLAB and examine how the parameters affect the results. Model results will be compared with available data and use the model to make future temperature projections.
Yawei Chen
University of Adelaide
Yawei Chen is a student at the University of Adelaide studying a Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Hons) under an articulation agreement between The University of Adelaide and Ocean University in China. She completed the first two years of her degree at Ocean University in China and has now moved to Australia to complete a further two years of study at The University of Adelaide. She enjoys solving mathematical problems, particularly in the area of partial differential equations and optimization. During this summer, Yawei will complete a six-week mathematical science project where she will study climate sensitivity modelling. She believes that this opportunity will give the head start for her as a researcher in the future.
