The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

An AI Emulator of State-of-the-Art Climate Models
ID:804 Invited Oral Presentation

2027-01-12 10:25 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 32 - AI for Ocean Dynamics: advancements, discoveries and challenges

Abstract
Climate projections from Earth system models are computationally expensive, limiting the number of emission scenarios, ensemble members, and mechanism-oriented experiments that can be explored. Here we present an AI climate emulator that reproduces key capabilities of state-of-the-art CMIP6 models at approximately one hundredth of the computational cost. Trained on simulations from ten CMIP6 models, the emulator performs stable multi-century integrations while preserving model-specific climatologies, inter-model structural differences, and physically reasonable responses to greenhouse gas forcing. It projects twenty-first-century climate change across multiple emission scenarios, reproducing major features including global and regional warming, precipitation redistribution, sea-ice loss, and large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation changes. Because the emulator can rapidly generate large ensembles, it enables efficient quantification of projection uncertainty and systematic testing of climate mechanisms. We demonstrate this capability by separating the thermodynamic and sea-surface-temperature-gradient contributions to the projected weakening of the Walker Circulation. By combining multiple climate-model representations within a single computationally efficient framework, the emulator provides a practical complement to conventional Earth system models for scenario exploration, climate attribution, uncertainty assessment, and mechanistic research.
Speaker
Xichen Li Peking University

Author
Xichen Li Peking University

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

      Session / Event proposals close
      (Extended to April 7)

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Session acceptance notifications

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions & registration open

    • Jun 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions close
      (Extended to July 21)

    • Aug 31

      2026

      Abstract acceptance notifications

    • Sep 15

      2026

      Scientific program released

    • Oct 15

      2026

      Early bird registration closes

    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027