China looks to the future, and climate talks, with Earth simulation lab
- Giant globe shows climate, atmosphere, marine environment, polar sea ice and ecology simulations over different periods
- It’s powered by a high-performance supercomputer and will help to improve predictions on climate, researcher says
In Beijing’s north, visitors can see simulations of the planet’s climate and environment through a giant glowing orb.
The 3-metre globe hangs in an exhibition hall at Huairou Science City and is part of the Earth System Numerical Simulation Facility, or EarthLab, which went into full operation on Monday last week.
Those simulations are powered by a high-performance supercomputer housed in the next room.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Atmospheric Physics, in partnership with Tsinghua University, started working on EarthLab in 2018, and the facility started trial operation in June last year.
“The facility has become an important basic research platform for China’s atmospheric, oceanic, environmental and computational science research,” according to the CAS website.
It also said EarthLab would provide important scientific and technological support for China’s climate and environmental goals.