April 2009
Mathematics and Climate
The American Mathematical Society, the American Statistical Association, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics announce that the theme for Mathematics Awareness Month, April 2009, is Mathematics and Climate.
One of the most important challenges of our time is modeling global climate. Some of the fundamental questions researchers are currently addressing are:
- How long will the summer Arctic sea ice pack survive?
- Are hurricanes and other severe weather events getting stronger?
- How much will sea level rise as ice sheets melt?
- How do human activities affect climate change?
- How is global climate monitored?
Calculus, differential equations, numerical analysis, probability, and statistics are just some of the areas of mathematics used to understand the oceans, atmosphere, and polar ice caps, and the complex interactions among these vast systems.