Can digital twinning find transformative solutions for our problems?

Most physical processes are very complex, however, and this sort of modelling can require billions of calculation

A research team led by Daniel Klocke from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology has just put together a new digital model of Earth. They call it an Icosahedral Nonhydrostatic (ICON) model. It does weather forecasting and climate modelling.

 

ICON divides Earth’s surface into a grid of 336 million cells, with each cell representing 1.25 square km.  Another 336 million cells represent the atmosphere. Each cell runs interconnected models reflecting dynamic weather and climate systems.

 

Weather is calculated by looking at “fast” systems like natural energy and water cycles, which induce short-term changes. “Slow” processes like the carbon cycle, long-term