Quick Start Guide

http://edgcm.columbia.edu
Version 3.2
 EdGCM and EVA are copyright
© 2003-2009 by Columbia University.
All rights reserved.

*****

4th Dimension is copyright © 1995-2009 by 4D, Inc.

Used with permission.

*****

The GISS GCM Model II is in the public domain.

The GISS GCM is under continuous development at NASA’s Goddard Insti-

tute for Space Studies (http://www.giss.nasa.gov). A detailed description of
GISS Model II, the GCM used by EdGCM, is given in the following reference:

J. Hansen, G. Russell, D. Rind, P. Stone, A. Lacis, S. Lebedeff, R. Ruedy,

and L. Travis, Efficient Three-Dimensional Global Models for Climate
Studies: Models I and II, Monthly Weather Review, vol. 111, no. 4, April
1983.

*****

Although Panoply was produced at a U.S. Government research institute, the

complete Panoply application cannot be considered public domain because it
includes libraries provided by third parties which have individual copyrights
and licenses. Please see http://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/panoply/ for further
information, additional copies and/or updated versions of Panoply.
 Contents

Acknowledgments iv

Introduction to EdGCM 1

1. System Requirements 1

2. Installation Guides: Macs and Windows 2

2.1. For Mac OS X 2

2.2. For Windows 2000/XP/Vista 3

2.3 Registering Your Copy of EdGCM 4

3. Some Notes Before You Begin 5

3.1.  Performance: How Fast Will It Run? 5

3.2.  Power Settings On Your Machine 6

3.3 Known Software Problems and Issues 7

EdGCM Tutorial 9

1. Launching EdGCM and Setting Up a Simulation 9

2. Analyzing Output 13

3. Viewing Climate Model Results  19

3.1. Viewing Maps and Plots of Data  19

3.2. Viewing the Raw Data Tables 19

4. Reporting Your Results 21

 Acknowledgments

Project Director Science Editor Lead Programmer

Mark Chandler Linda Sohl Ken Mankoff

4th Dimension GISS GCM Model II

(EdGCM database) Mark Chandler
Michael Shopsin Michael Shopsin
Ken Mankoff David Rind
Matthew Shopsin Jean Lerner
Jeff Jonas
EVA Reto Ruedy
(EdGCM Visualization Application) Gary Russell
Ken Mankoff Andy Lacis

Panoply
Robert Schmunk

The EdGCM Project of Columbia University acknowledges support from the

National Science Foundation, Division of Atmospheric Sciences–Paleoclimate
Program, and by the Earth Science programs at NASA.
Dear soon-to-be climate modelers,

In bringing users into direct contact with complex computer models such
as a Global Climate Model (GCM), EdGCM exposes the strengths and
weaknesses of computer models in a way that scientific papers and news-
paper articles frequently obscure. The danger in creating a point-and-click
interface for a GCM is that users might be tempted to treat the model as
a black box, and then we would not be achieving our overarching goal:
to encourage more people to learn about and use global climate
models. EdGCM allows people to become familiar with both the scientific
process and the tools of the trade that are an integral component of state-
of-the-art climate research and climate change forecasting. We hope that
courses employing EdGCM will encourage more students to pursue Earth
science careers, and that the experience will allow them to participate in
climate research at an earlier stage in their education. However, we also
hope that all who use EdGCM in any fashion will become better informed
about climate change issues that affect everyone on the planet. If EdGCM
helps to demystify this complex but crucial subject matter, then it is ful-
filling a key objective.

EdGCM does not require a sophisticated understanding of climate to use,

but climate science is an exceptionally multi-disciplinary field and an
understanding of one or more of the associated disciplines (atmosphere,
oceans, geology, physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry) will definitely
enrich the experience. During the past few years, we have been heartened
to see EdGCM used at levels of education from middle school to graduate
level, as well as in museums, science centers, and even in professional
research projects. EdGCM is now in use in many countries, and on all
seven continents. We welcome you to this growing community of climate
modelers, and hope that your experience with EdGCM encourages you to
appreciate even more our amazing home planet.

Happy Modeling!

Dr. Mark Chandler

Director, The EdGCM Project

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

v
vi EdGCM Guide v.3.2
 Introduction to EdGCM
Welcome to EdGCM, an integrated software suite designed to simplify
the process of setting up, running, analyzing and reporting on global
climate model simulations. The software package includes a full copy of 4th
Dimension® database software (4D, Inc.) and the NASA/Goddard Institute
for Space Studies’ Global Climate Model II (i.e., GISS GCM Model II). The
GISS GCM Model II is currently in used for climate research at NASA labs
and several universities. For a complete description of the GISS Model II,
see Hansen et al., 1983, included inside EdGCM’s Documentation folder.
EdGCM includes everything you need to begin exploring climate science
using a research-quality computer climate model. Despite the complexity
of the underlying GCM, the EdGCM interface and associated utilities
allows the model to be operated and managed by teachers, students, and
researchers with minimal training. Please note, however, that there is
limited documentation, so if you have not already attended one of our
training workshops you may have difficulty utilizing some of the many
functions available in this package. You are welcome to contact us for help
in getting started, but we are currently only offering significant support to
institutions that are collaborating with us for evaluation purposes. If you
would be interested in arranging a training session please DO contact us.
Contact information is available at http://edgcm.columbia.edu.

1. System Requirements
• Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher, including Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard);
Windows 2000/XP/Vista (XP Pro or Vista Home Premium editions
recommended)
• Any Mac with an Intel processor, or a G3 or better PowerPC CPU;
any PC with an Intel or AMD processor running at 300 MHz or faster
• 1 GB of free disk space (for installation only; simulation results may
require an additional 4-5 GB)
• 512 MB RAM minimum recommended
• Internet connection is helpful but not required

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 2. Installation Guides: Macs and Windows
2.1. For Mac OS X

1. Download the latest disk image (e.g., EdGCM.dmg) from the EdGCM
web site. When the license agreement appears, click “Agree” to continue
mounting the disk image on your desktop (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Please note

that EdGCM’s license
agreement is for
academic use only.

2. Once the disk image is mounted (Figure 2), simply drag the EdGCM
folder to the desktop, or to any other desired location where you (or other
users) will have write access. Launch EdGCM by double-clicking on the
shortcut inside the EdGCM folder.

Figure 2. Installation
of EdGCM on a Mac
is a simple drag-and-
drop process.

Note on cross-platform compatibility

All output files produced by the Mac OS X version of EdGCM 3.2 are
compatible for use with the Windows 2000/XP/Vista version, with the
exception of files used by SuSpect, as this program currently has no
Windows equivalent.
2 EdGCM Guide v.3.2
2.2. For Windows 2000/XP/Vista

1. Download the latest installer (e.g., EdGCM.exe) from the EdGCM web site
to your desktop, and double-click on the file name to begin the installation
process. When the license agreement appears, click “Agree” to continue
the installation process. Please note that you may need an administrator’s
password to complete the installation; if you do, you will need to ask your
IT administrator for assistance.
2. The default installation location for EdGCM is your desktop (Figure 3).
You may choose another location, but you (or other users) must have write
access for that directory (e.g., C:/>Program Files won’t work).

Figure 3. The Windows

installer for EdGCM.

3. Select the components of the EdGCM package that you wish to install
(Figure 4). We recommend that you leave all choices checked since QuickTime
and Java are required to use EdGCM. The QuickTime installer will only
run if you do not already have QuickTime installed. The Java installer will
replace any existing copy of Java with the latest version from Sun.

Figure 4. The EdGCM

installer for Windows will
also install QuickTime
and Java if needed.

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

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 4. If you do not already have QuickTime and Java on your PC, installation of
these components will begin now. Simply accept the license agreements and
opt for a typical setup rather than a custom installation. The installation
process for these programs may take several minutes each.
5. Launch EdGCM from either the Start Menu or from the shortcut on your
desktop.

Note on cross-platform compatibility

All output files produced by the Windows version of EdGCM are compat-
ible for use with the Mac version.

2.3. Registering Your Copy of EdGCM

1.When you launch EdGCM for the first time, a dialog box will appear,
asking you to register (Figure 5). If you have already purchased your copy
of EdGCM, type in the license key exactly as given in your confirmation
email, and click on the “Enter” button to complete your registration.
2. If you wish to use EdGCM in demo mode, leave the license field blank
and click on the “Demo” button. You will then have 30 days to try out the
software; the demo is fully functional during that time. While running in
demo mode, the registration box will appear each time you launch EdGCM,
reminding you of the number of days remaining in your free trial.
3. If you have been using EdGCM in demo mode and decide to make a
purchase, leave the license field blank and click on the “Purchase” button.
You will be directed first to the EdGCM web site to provide some basic
user information, and then to the EdGCM online store (hosted by Kagi) to
complete your credit card or PayPal purchase. Once you have received your
license key, follow step 1 above to complete registration.

Figure 5.

4 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

3. Some Notes Before You Begin
3.1.  Performance: How Fast Will It Run?
The speed at which the GISS GCM runs is based primarily upon the speed
of the computer’s CPU. Other factors that play a role include the number
of applications running at the same time, compiler optimizations, and
whether or not your system is dual- or single-processor. The 64-bit CPUs
in machines such as the PowerMac G5 allow the GCM to run significantly
faster, since twice as many calculations are possible during one clock cycle
than in the typical 32-bit systems used by most desktop computers.
The GISS GCM divides the atmosphere into a three-dimensional grid
system. The version incorporated into EdGCM uses an 8° X 10° latitude
by longitude grid system, and has nine vertical layers in the atmosphere
and two ground layers. Running the climate model entails the solving
of a series of complex physics equations for every cell in the grid, and a
single simulated year involves many billions of calculations. Real-world
performance has always been essential for the GISS GCM for research
purposes, so the model was originally coded to be highly efficient. It has
been further optimized to run at acceptable speeds on desktop computers
without sacrificing any accuracy, but newer desktop computers will run
the model the fastest.
Over the past four years, the number of simulated years per day (syears/
day) for the GCM has increased more than twenty-fold on desktop Macs
(see the table below). As a general guideline, most simulations that would
be of interest (either in the classroom or for research) need to run at least
10 simulated years. Simulations with altered forcings, such as increased
greenhouse gases, must run using the predicted ocean option and require
a minimum of 50 simulated years to reach equilibrium.

Table of simulated model years per day. The speed at which the GISS GCM runs on a desktop
computer scales closely with CPU speed. However, changes to the microchip architecture,
L2 cache levels, and compilation optimizations may also have a significant impact.

Computer (OS) CPU/CPU Speed Simulated Years / Day

eMac (OS X 10.3) PPC G4, 800 MHz 35
PowerMac (OS X 10.4) PPC dual-G4, 1.42 GHz 66*
PowerMac (OS X 10.4) PPC dual-G5, 2.0 GHz 120*
Dell OptiPlex (Win XP) Pentium-4, 2.8 GHz 130
MacBook Pro (Vista) Intel Core Duo, 1.8 GHz 131*
iMac (Win XP) Intel Core Duo, 1.8 GHz 152*
MacBook Pro (OS X 10.5) Intel Core Duo, 1.8 GHz 160*
PowerMac (OS X 10.4) PPC quad-G5, 2.5 GHz 160*
Dell Dimension (Win XP) Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.4 GHz 180*
Mac Pro (OS X 10.5) Quad Core Intel Xeon, 2.8 GHz 373*

*Per processor.

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

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 3.2.  Power Settings On Your Machine
It is also important that you not let the computer “sleep” when the GCM
is running. Sleep mode will cause the run to stop and can corrupt the files
required to complete the simulation. To prevent the computer from going
into sleep mode, the Energy Saver settings for your Mac (Figure 6) should
be set to “never sleep the computer.” (Setting the display to sleep is fine,
and will not affect your simulations). In addition, do not check the box that
allows the hard disk to sleep, as this may also damage simulation output
files.
You can run EdGCM on newer laptops as well as desktops, but you should
always do so with the laptop plugged in, not while running on battery
power. Note that some laptops get very hot while the model is running; you
should make sure that the laptop gets ample ventilation to avoid shutdown
due to overheating.

Figure 6. For Macs, the Energy Saver settings (within System Preferences) should be set
such that the computer never sleeps.

For PCs, the appropriate power settings are set through the Control Panel,
which is accessible from the Start Menu. In the Control Panel, double-click
on “Performance and Maintenance” and then select “Power Options” to
bring up a dialog box to display Power Option Properties (Figure 7). Select
the Power Schemes tab, and from the drop down menu select the “Always
On” option. As with Macs, allowing the monitor to go to sleep will not affect
the running of the GCM.

6 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

Figure 7. For PCs, the Power Scheme should be set to “Always On” to prevent the system
from going into sleep mode while the GCM is running.

Under both Mac OS X and Windows 2000/XP/Vista you may run additional
applications, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, while the GCM is running.
You may even start more than one simulation at a time, although the
simulations will then have to share processor time. On single-processor
systems any additional applications will slow the GCM dramatically, but
will not harm the simulation in any way. On dual-processor computers
the impact on the speed of the run will be minimal unless you run many
applications at once.
Finally, you can quit the EdGCM 4D interface once a simulation is running,
because the GCM runs as a separate application in the background.
However, you will need to restart the EdGCM 4D interface to analyze the
output once the run has finished.

3.3. Known Software Problems and Issues

• We recommend that you NOT leave the GCM running on a Windows laptop
unattended. We have found that some Pentium laptops have difficulty
dissipating heat and may shutdown (hibernate) without warning causing
the climate model to crash. This does not appear to harm the laptop, but it
can corrupt GCM output files.
• EdGCM will work as described on MacOS X using the default HFS+ disk
format. We do not recommend using EdGCM on UFS or case sensitive HFS
formatted disks as some bugs may appear.

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

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 • A few PCs have exhibited strange behavior when running long simulations.
The behavior has been traced to faulty cooling of CPUs, and substituting
another computer has fixed the problem. Macs appear to have sufficient
cooling to avoid similar problems with long simulations.
• EdGCM is not available for the Linux platform, as our 4D database
software (the foundation for both file organization and the user interface) is
available for Mac and Windows only. It is possible however to run EdGCM
on a remote Windows machine using an rdesktop client on a Linux box.
EdGCM also runs well on Windows XP and Windows Vista under Parallels
on a Mac Intel machine.
• EdGCM running in native Intel mode on Macs has a serious bug that
causes the GCM to stop at the end of each calendar year in simulations
that use greenhouse gas trends. This requires the user to restart the GCM
at the end of each simulated year. EdGCM versions running on PowerPC
Macs or on Windows computers are unaffected.

8 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

 EdGCM Tutorial
The purpose of the following tutorial is to familiarize you with the setup,
running, and post-processing of a global climate model simulation. This
example is based upon one of the global warming scenarios included on
your EdGCM CD-ROM. Although you will see the fields and options that
can be changed for customized simulations, we will mainly demonstrate
the use of the pre-programmed values in the global warming scenario for
this tutorial. Unless otherwise indicated, each step will be the same in
both the Mac and Windows versions.
There are also video tutorials for EdGCM version 3.2 available on our web
site (http://edgcm.columbia.edu/support/multimedia/).

1. Launching EdGCM and Setting Up a

Simulation

1. Mac: In the EdGCM folder, double-click on the

EdGCM shortcut to launch the application.
Windows: Double-click on the EdGCM shortcut on
the desktop, or select EdGCM from the Start Menu
to launch the application.

The first window that will appear will be the basic

EdGCM Toolbar. The set of icons across the top are
shortcuts to some of the key functions in the software
(e.g., Setup Simulations, Analyze Output). Below
these are a set of controls for starting and pausing
simulations, as well as restarting and extending
them.
The Toolbar also includes a list of simulations
already available (the run list). The buttons in the
Toolbar will automatically change to provide new
options as various EdGCM functions are selected,
but the run list will always be present. The run list
may also be used to search for a particular run ID, or
to sort through a long list of run IDs.

Figure 1. The basic

EdGCM Toolbar.

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

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 2. In the menu at the top of the screen, click once on “Window” to display
the various function windows within EdGCM 4D, and select “Setup
Simulations” (or press cmd + 1 for Macs, ctrl + 1 for Windows). To see
the initial conditions for the Global_Warming_01 scenario, make sure it
is selected in the run list. Note the changes to the Toolbar relevant to the
Setup Simulations window (Figure 2).

Figure 2. The Setup Simulations window and its associated Toolbar.

The comments section in the General info section of the Setup Simulation
window provides the simulation description. This scenario was designed to
induce global warming by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at
the linear increasing rate of 0.3 ppm for the first 70 years of the experiment,
followed by an exponential increase rate of 0.75% per year over a 130-year
interval, starting with the observed value of 295.5 ppm in 1900.
The scenario included is locked, which means that none of the parameters
can be changed (note the small lock icon in the upper right corner of the
Setup Simulations window, below the banner). In order to create a copy of
this scenario that can be modified, click the Duplicate button under “Setup
Simulation” in the Toolbar. You have now created a copy of the simulation
(Global_Warming_1_copy in the run list) that can be modified to your
specifications.

10 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

If you were to continue setting up a new scenario, the remaining sections of
the Setup Simulations window would be used to input your modifications.
The Input files section sets the geographic boundary conditions (i.e., land
mass distribution, topography, vegetation distribution) at the appropriate
grid resolution for the model, according to the files selected. For the modern
control runs, future climate simulations and Pleistocene ice age experiments
distributed with EdGCM, the choice of files need not be modified from the
default selections. Users wanting to do paleoclimate simulations must take
care that all the boundary condition files here are set appropriately for the
time period of interest, or else the GCM will crash.
The Ocean model and Diagnostic output sections are intended for
advanced users, and need not be modified for most simulations.
The Forcings section (Figure 3) allows you to set the value of solar
luminosity and various greenhouse gases, the levels of which would remain
uniform through the entire experiment. The values entered into this section
are independent of each other and can be set to whatever values you wish.
However, the GCM is not guaranteed to behave properly if the values
entered are too far beyond modern values (e.g., solar luminosity set to more
than 10% above or below modern; more than 20X modern carbon dioxide).

Figure 3. The Forcings section allows basic manipulation of the GCM boundary conditions.

More complex variations of the solar luminosity and various greenhouse

gases are also possible by adjusting individual Trends. As previously
noted, the simulation used for this tutorial sets a linear increase followed
by an exponential increase per year for carbon dioxide. It is also possible to
include a transient increase in carbon dioxide. Just to illustrate this option,
open the CO2 Trend section of the Setup Simulation window, click once on
the second drop-down menu bar and select “Step (ppm)” as the second trend
(Figure 4). Then fill in a value of 500 for the step function for the years
1970-2010.

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 Figure 4. The CO2 trend section, like the other trend sections, permits the levels of green-
house gases to change during the course of a simulation.

To see a graphic representation of how the level of CO2 would change

through time, click on the “View” icon on the right side of the CO2 Trend
section to launch the EdGCM Visualization Application, or EVA, and
display the trends (Figure 5). More information on how to use EVA can be
found in the EVA manual included in the EdGCM Documentation folder.

Figure 5. EVA display of changing CO2 trends as selected in Figure 4.

The Power tools and Developer tools sections are intended for advanced
users, and should not be modified without special direction.
NOTE: For the purposes of this tutorial, we have already run the simulation
and provided you with the output files. Do NOT begin a new simulation
run, otherwise you will overwrite the tutorial’s data files.
If you are later running your own simulation, you need to take the following
steps to get the experiment under way:

12 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

3. With the boundary conditions now
set for this simulation, press the “play”
button under “Simulation Controls” at
the top of the toolbar. A new window
will pop up to show you the progress
of the model simulation in Fortran.
The model will initially run through
the first hour of the simulation and
then stop (Figure 6), to ensure that
no major error have been made in the
selection of boundary conditions (e.g., a
Snowball Earth land mass distribution
with modern vegetation).

Figure 6. The first hour of a simulation was

successfully completed.

4. At this point, the GCM must be restarted. Click on the “play” button
at the bottom of the Fortran window in step 5, or at the top of the toolbar
again, in order to restart the simulation.
Since Fortran runs independently of EdGCM 4D, the interface can be closed
down until the run is finished and you are ready to analyze the results.

2. Analyzing Output

After the simulation has been completed, re-launch EdGCM 4D. Now
select “Analyze Output” (cmd + 4 for Macs, ctrl + 4 for Windows) from the
menu at the top of the screen. A window titled Analyze Output will appear
(Figure 7).
The Analyze Output window is used to process four types of data: Maps,
Zonal Averages, Time Series, and Vertical Slices. Each of these data types
is represented as a tab in the center of the window; clicking on the tab
brings you to that given data type and the list of variables available for
that type. The fifth tab in this window, called Diagnostic Tables, generates
tables of data like those used by NASA scientists to review their results.
On the left side of the Analyze Output window, the years run for a given
simulation are displayed twice so that you may select the starting and
ending dates for the interval you want to analyze. On the right side, a list
of data files will appear as you process the results of the simulation.

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 Figure 7. The Analyze Output window and associated toolbar.

NOTE: The first time you execute any of the Analyze Output functions that
involves launching a Fortran program, you may receive a warning from
your system asking if you want to run the program. Always say “Yes” to these
particular warnings to ensure that EdGCM continues to function smoothly.

Maps
To generate maps displaying annual, seasonal or monthly averages, click
on the Maps tab (Figure 8), and then select the first and last year of the
time interval over which you would like the results averaged. Typically
the last five to ten years of the run are selected for averaging, a practice
which helps reduce the amount of noise in the data, so these options are
available as buttons just below the list of years. For this tutorial, click on
the “Last 5” button, so that the last five years of the run are highlighted on
the list. Then click on the “Average” button in the lower left corner of the
window to run the Fortan program that averages the years selected. When
the averaging program is finished, a range of years will appear under the
Averages section in the lower left portion of the window. Select the range
you want to work with to continue your analysis.
Next, select the variables which you would like to map in the center portion
of the window, then click once on the “Extract” button located at the bottom
center of the window. Another Fortran window will appear briefly while
the data for the maps are being extracted, and then a file will appear in
the upper right portion of the window. To view the map diagnostics, either
select the file name and click the “View” button on the lower right, or else
double-click on the file name itself; both actions will launch EdGCM’s
visualization application, EVA.
14 EdGCM Guide v.3.2
Figure 8. The Maps
tab in the Analyze
Output window,
highlighting (in
yellow) the file of
extracted variables
that can be viewed
in map form (up-
per right). The
icon next to the file
name represents
the netCDF format,
a popular cross-
platform format for
spatial data.

Time Series
To generate a time series that can be plotted linearly, click on the Time
Series tab (Figure 9), and click on the “Time Series” button in the lower left
corner of the window. This will launch another Fortran program, which may
take a few minutes to run. Note that all the years available for processing
are selected in the Year list by default; if you wish to view only a subsection
of years, you can select them later in EVA or Excel.

Figure 9. The
Time Series tab
in the Analyze
Output window,
showing the list
of files gener-
ated by post-
processing. These
files are given
in Excel format
for easy plotting
with either EVA
or Excel.

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

15
 Once the Fortran program ends, select your variables of interest in the
center portion of the window, and click on the “Extract” button below
the variable list. A number of files - one for each variable you selected
for extraction - will appear in the upper right portion of the window. To
view any of the time series, either select the file name and click the “View”
button on the lower right, or else double-click on the file name itself; both
actions will launch EdGCM’s visualization application, EVA.

For many users, map variables and time series data are sufficient for a
great deal of analysis in a classroom setting. For advanced users, there are
additional variables and data formats accessible in the other tabs of the
Analyze Output window:

Vertical Slices
To generate vertical slices displaying spatial data along pole-to-pole
transects, click on the Vertical Slices tab (Figure 10). If you have already
averaged the last 5 years for any tab other than Time Series, you will
already have a range of years available in the lower left portion of the
window, and need not run the averaging program again; otherwise, follow
the steps for averaging years described for the Maps tab above.
Next, select the variables you would like to extract in the center portion of
the window, and click on the “Extract” button below the variables list, and
a file of the extracted variables will appear in the upper right corner of the
window. To view these variables, either select the file name and click the
“View” button on the lower right, or else double-click on the file name itself;
both actions will launch EdGCM’s visualization application, EVA.

Figure 10. The

Vertical Slices
tab in the Analyze
Output window,
highlighting the file
generated by post-
processing. Verti-
cal slice data files
are also in netCDF
format.

16 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

Zonal Averages
To generate average values of certain variables along lines of latitude,
click on the Zonal Averages tab (Figure 11). If you have already averaged
the last 5 years for any tab other than Time Series, you will already have
a range of years available in the lower left portion of the window, and
need not run the averaging program again; otherwise, follow the steps for
averaging years described for the Maps tab above.
Next, select the variables you would like to extract in the center portion
of the window, and click on the “Extract” button below the variables list,
and a file of the extracted variables will appear in the upper right corner of
the window. To view these variables, either select the file name and click
the “View” button on the lower right, or else double-click on the file name
itself; both actions will launch EdGCM’s visualization application, EVA, by
default, but these data can also be plotted in Excel if you choose.

Figure 11. The

Zonal Averages
tab in the Analyze
Output window,
highlighting the
files generated by
post-processing.
Zonal average data
files provided in
Excel format.

Diagnostic Tables
To generate tables of data showing annual, seasonal or monthly averages,
click on the Diagnostic Tables tab (Figure 12). If you have already averaged
the last 5 years for any tab other than Time Series, you will already have a
range of years available in the lower left portion of the window, and need not
run the averaging program again; otherwise, follow the steps for averaging
years described for the Maps tab above.
Since the purpose of this tab is to create tables of standard set of diagnostic
variables averaged over particular time periods of interest, the center
portion of this tab lists options for those time periods. Typical averages
selected are the January and July monthly averages (for warm/cold climate
EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 
17
 Figure 12. The Diagnostic Tables tab in the Analyze Output window, showing the list of
files generated by post-processing. The icons next to the file names indicate the format of
the file: Excel, HTML, and SuSpect (the latter for Macs only).

contrasts); seasonal averages; and annual averages. Select the time periods
you want to review, and click on the “Extract” button at the bottom center
of the window. A list of the processed data files for each time period will
appear on the right side of the window (Figure 12).

18 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

3. Viewing Climate Model Results
The data generated by the averaging and extraction steps in Analyze Out-
put are displayed in the right-most column of the Analyze Output window.
They can be viewed by selecting an item in that column and clicking on the
“View” button directly below the column. An appropriate program for view-
ing the data will open automatically.

3.1. Viewing Maps and Plots of Data

EdGCM is distributed with two scientific visualization applications: EVA

(EdGCM Visualization Application), and Panoply (from NASA/GISS). EVA
is specifically designed for viewing EdGCM’s maps and time series results,
and allows users to visualize and perform basic analyses (such as differenc-
ing) of the global climate model output. Panoply is a powerful, and more
generic, Java-based viewer of netCDF earth science data files. It is particu-
larly useful if you plan to compare your EdGCM results to those of other
models or to observations, which must also be stored in the netCDF format.
Both EVA and Panoply are quite user-friendly and are included with the
standard EdGCM installation. Each comes with its own reference guide, so
please consult those manuals for detailed information on the uses of these
powerful scientific visualization tools.

3.2.Viewing the Raw Data Tables

The “Diagnostic Tables” tab in EdGCM’s Analyze Output window produces
a detailed summary of the climate model output. The format is consistent
with that used by the climate model development team at NASA/GISS.
Although it is a handy (and voluminous) summary of the data, the abbrevi-
ated annotations and presentation requires users to be familiar with many
atmospheric science terms and, commonly, with the unique vernacular
used by climate model developers. Access to these tables are primarily pro-
vided for those who have previously worked with the NASA/GISS Global
Climate Models or for those who will be work on project collaborations with
NASA/GISS scientists.

Windows users may choose to view Diagnostic Tables using Microsoft Ex-
cel® or, by choosing the files ending in .html, using a web browser. These
are very large tables containing information on nearly all the climate vari-
ables produced by the GCM, and the html view is perhaps the most ef-
ficient way to scan the information because there are links to the specific
table for each variable at the top of these files (Figure 13). Mac users have
the additional option of viewing the data tables with another prorgram we
provide called SuSpect (Figure 14). SuSpect allows users to sychronize the
viewing of multiple files for quicker comparison of the results from more
than one simulation.

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

19
 Figure 13. The HTML display of tables data begins with a series of links to tables for the
individual variables selected for analysis.

Figure 14. Mac users can employ SuSpect to view their data.

20 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

4. Reporting Your Results

An important feature of EdGCM is the ability to share simulation results

and interpretations by publishing to a web site easily accessible to others.
The entire process is greatly simplified through EdGCM’s eJournal
function.
To report results:

1. Return to EdGCM, and select “eJournal” from the Window menu at the
top. The eJournal toolbar and window will appear (Figure 15).

Figure 15. The eJournal setup window and its associated toolbar.

2. Note that the eJournal window is divided into sections. Each section of
the eJournal (up to a maximum of 20 sections) can be used for either text
descriptions or figures. To convert between one type of section to the other,
simply click on the button to the left of the section (clicking on a photo
button sets up the section for figures; clicking on a text button sets up the
section for text).
3. Three additional figures may be added to a given section (for a total of
four figures) by clicking the “+” button at the lower right corner of the figure

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

21
 window. Up to two lines of figure caption text, if available, will be visible
for each figure in the eJournal setup window, although longer captions will
be displayed in their entirety when the eJournal is published to HTML.
4. Images of any size or format can be imported from the Image Browser
(Figure 16), which is accessible from the Window menu. Images from the
Image Browser may be inserted into an eJournal section by simply dragging
and dropping the image into a figure box, such as the one seen in section 2
of the eJournal page in Figure 15.

Figure 16. The Image

Browser is a library
of photos, graphs, and
maps that can be used to
illustrate key points for
discussion in a student’s
eJournal report. The
images can be sorted by
name, date created or
modified, or by theme
(e.g., Pliocene images,
global warming images).
The Image Browser may
be added to at any point
by students or teachers.

5. To page through multiple pages of the Image Browser, click on the

“forward” and “reverse” buttons in the Image Browser toolbar. It is also
possible to search for images by name, or sort images by name, creation
date, etc.
6. When an eJournal is ready for web publication, return to the filled-out
eJournal page and click on the “eJournal to Web” button in the toolbar (see
Figure 15). The eJournal page will be converted to an HTML file, which
will open automatically in a new window within your default web browser
(Figure 17).

22 EdGCM Guide v.3.2

Figure 17. A published eJournal report.

These files can then be published to a school web site or to the student’s
own web space for public access. A copy may also be added to the school’s
eJournal library, a searchable offline database for the reports.

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

23
 EdGCM Software License for Educational Use
This Agreement is the expression of covenants between the User (“Licensee”), and
Columbia University in the City of New York (“Columbia”), regarding current
and future versions of software produced by the EdGCM Project. License includes
all programs, code, examples, manuals and other documentation included in the
release (collectively, “the Software”).
1. Licensee agrees that the Software and the Derivatives will be used solely for
non-commercial research or educational purposes. Licensee is not permitted to
sell, lease, distribute, transfer, sublicense, or otherwise dispose of the Software
and the Derivatives, in whole or in part, for any form of actual or potential
commercial gain or consideration;
2. Copyright of the Software is and will remain with The Trustees of Columbia
University in the City of New York and/or its employees, consultants and students,
and shall at no point transfer to Licensee. Any copyright notices on the Software
shall be included on all copies of the Derivatives, or any parts or portions thereof,
in any form, manner or substance, which are produced by the Licensee including
but not limited to incorporation of the Software into any other program, technical
data, documentation, firmware, or other information of the like kind, type or
quality;
3. Any externally disseminated publications such as, but not limited to, manuals,
technical reports, articles in journals, grant proposals, papers in conference
or workshop proceedings, and marketing brochures or advertisements for sale
or distribution of products, written in whole or in part by Licensee personnel,
including but not limited to employees, consultants or students of Licensee,
that are based in any part on the ideas of the Programming Systems Lab or the
Software shall acknowledge Mark Chandler and the EdGCM Project at Columbia
University, CCSR, using the following citation:
Chandler, M.A., S.J. Richards, and M. Shopsin, 2005: EdGCM:
Enhancing climate science education through climate modeling
research projects. In Proceedings of the 85th Annual Meeting of the
American Meteorological Society, 14th Symposium on Education,
Jan. 8-14, 2005, San Diego, CA, pp. P1.5;
4. Licensee acknowledges that the Software is being supplied in an “as is” condition
without any support services or future updates or releases. The EdGCM Project at
Columbia University may or may not make future updates and releases available
to Licensee under this same or another licensing agreement, but Columbia is
in no way obligated to do so. If Licensee discovers any defects or limitations in
the Software, Licensee is encouraged to inform the EdGCM Project at Columbia
University. However, Columbia or its representatives will not necessarily
acknowledge or repair any such errors thus reported;
5. Columbia makes no guarantees, warranties or representations of any kind,
either express or implied. Furthermore, Columbia disclaims and Licensee waives
and excludes any and all warranties of merchantability and any and all warranties
of fitness for any particular purpose. Licensee agrees that neither Columbia nor
its future, current or former personnel, including but not limited to employees,
consultants and students, shall be held to any liability with respect to any claim
by Licensee or a third party arising from or on account of the use of the Software
24 EdGCM Guide v.3.2
or the Derivatives, regardless of the form of action; whether in contract or tort,
including negligence. In no event will Columbia be liable for consequential or
incidental damages of any nature whatsoever;
6. Licensee will guarantee that all actual or potential users of the Software, and all
actual or potential producers of the Derivatives, within Licensee organization, or
in organizations who have obtained or may obtain the Software or the Derivatives
from Licensee, are aware of this agreement and of the terms for using the Software
and producing Derivatives.

EdGCM  Guide v.3.2 

25
 Notes

26 EdGCM Guide v.3.2