A General Circulation Model (GCM) is a complex mathematical model used to simulate and understand the Earth's climate system, including atmospheric and oceanic processes. GCMs are fundamental tools in climate science, enabling researchers to study weather patterns, climate change, and the interaction of various components of the Earth's system.
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A general circulation model evolves rotating fluid dynamics together with heating/cooling and suitable transport parameterizations. Atmospheric applications can couple radiative transfer, clouds and chemistry to resolve longitudinal and latitudinal structure. For an exoplanet atmosphere, it can predict winds and an exoplanet thermal phase curve. Unresolved turbulence and cloud microphysics still require approximate closures.