ABSTRACT
In the most general terms, a model is a means of simplifying reality in a way that yields useful information about that reality. A climate model is an attempt to apply the physical laws governing climate processes to simulate the climate and to understand and predict the effects of changes in the processes. The model itself is usually a series of equations expressing these laws. Thus to run a model, the initial climatic conditions are observed, the laws are applied, and the new conditions deduced. Simplification is needed because we neither understand all the laws perfectly nor observe the climate completely. Further, our current restricted computational ability limits the accuracy of our calculations, forcing additional simplifications.
