There is another front gradually developing, that is an effort collaborating with the CCSR, University of Tokyo, the National Institute for Environmental Studies and the Integrated modeling research program of FRSGC. As Dr. Matsuno mentioned yesterday, the major focus or the goal is to use a coupled model of a T213 atmosphere model and a 0.1｡?esolution eddy permitting or eddy resolving ocean model. The major focus is to see ocean change due to global warming by incorporating effects of meso-scale ocean eddies. And these two efforts may be complementary each other. When the Earth Simulator comes first use medium-resolution coupled model and use the obtained SST for running highest possible resolution atmosphere models to see how climate will change. Then proceed to coupling of high-resolution ocean model and high-resolution atmosphere model. This is the most efficient way with the minimum risk, I believe. Interannual and decadal variabilities of climate and their change due to global warming are well simulated by current medium resolution climate models. So, when the Earth Simulator comes a large number of numerical experiments can be done and by comparing results we can understand the mechanism how climate variability will change owing to global warming.
Dr. Hajime Akimoto (Atmospheric Composition Research Program):
I'll take about the future direction of the atmospheric composition research program. Our program started rather lately so what I will present is the focus at present and in the near future.
One is how to reduce uncertainty in prediction of the air quality in the Asia-Pacific region. In Asia as I talked yesterday there are lots of emissions and air-pollutants and they are growing very rapidly. And those are affecting each society of countries in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. As emission sources not only the combustion of fossil fuels but biomass burning are going on. So, to answer the question how the air-quality will be 10 years after is highly requested by society. This is the first focus of our program.
The number two is how to reduce uncertainty in atmospheric carbon budget. From the distributions of CO2 concentration and also particularly from the isotope distribution on global scale we use the so-called inverse modeling technique to assess where CO2 is emitted and where CO2 is absorbed. That kind of global CO2 budget is our concern.
