What Is Climate's Mightiest Models?
How do scientists know about the climate in the future? Climate scientist use models to predict the future, but what is actually a model? And how do scientists build one?
Learn more with our LEGO game Climate's Mightiest Models!
In this game, you and your team will race against time to build a simple LEGO model of the Earth. Then, moving on to Level 2, each of you will gain the power of a Norse god, for better or for worse...! You will need to combine your powers to become one, united, Climate Super Model and not crash the system.
A climate supermodel is a brand new technique used by researchers to combine different climate models, so that these models can use each other's strengths, correct their mistakes and as a team, become better.
How to Build a Climate Model!
A quick summary of the game:
- You have 10 minutes to build a planet earth, or part of it, with as many LEGO pieces as possible.
- Everyone on the team is a different model with your own strengths. These are indicated on the 'Mission' cards.
- Keep your strength a secret from the other players. Use your LEGO to correct them on the board.
- Dont forget: you are a team! If someone corrects you - thats great! It will only make your model better!
- Examples of things you can build: ocean, ice, mountains, rivers, cities, deserts, flowers, forests, clouds and vulcanoes.
Download the game
Find all the information you need for the game: a list of materials, reflection questions and supporting information about climate (super) models, mission cards for Level 1 and Super Model mission cards for Level 2. Print the information, add some Lego pieces, and you are ready to play!
What Is a Climate Model?
- We divide the earth and the surrounding atmosphere in little boxes: ‘grid cells’.
- We know the laws of physics, and we put that into mathematical equations.
- We apply these equations to different components of the climate system: atmosphere, ocean, sea ice etc.
- We ‘run’ the model: we solve the equations in each grid cell.
- Then we know how temperature and wind will change at different locations on earth!
What Is a Climate SUPER Model?
- There are different climate models in the world, and just like the Norse gods, they each have their own strengths!
- When you combine them and let them interact, like we do, you can get an even better model.
- A SUPER model!
Climate's Mightiest Models by Emilie Byermoen, Mahaut de Vareilles, Francine Schevenhoven and Lea Svendsen, and supported by the University of Bergen, the Norwegian Research Council under grant agreement n. 310098 and Trond Mohn Foundation under project n. BFS2018TMT01, is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.