Nvidia's research division recently released an AI weather model that scientists hope will improve local-level forecasts of short-term weather events — a step forward in the evolving field of atmospheric science where machine learning is playing a larger role.
While scientists around the world are still studying the complex physics of clouds and storms, AI is increasingly helping to fill in some of the blanks.
“AI is completely changing how we simulate the atmosphere,” said Nvidia researcher Mike Pritchard.
Solving the physical equations for future weather phenomena is typically done on huge, expensive supercomputers, he said, “which limits the resolution of the forecast and the number of forecasts that can be made. But now AI has proven it can perform as well or better than the physical equations at making similar predictions.”
And new research published this week by Nvidia presents a new model for rapidly predicting localized weather events like thunderstorms down to kilometres.
“It certainly helps with the timeliness of the information,” says Maria Molina of the University of Maryland.
Machine learning models can compute more efficiently and therefore run predictions more frequently, she said.
Molina added that compared with supercomputers used in wealthier countries, machine learning models, once trained, are “much cheaper to operate, which opens the door to access.”
Access to countries with fewer resources to forecast severe weather events such as derechos and hurricanes.
It's a step towards “very accurate weather forecasts down to one kilometre — worldwide — that will be game-changing in terms of saving lives,” said engineer Peetak Mitra. “For example, predicting droughts earlier, predicting heat waves earlier, predicting cold snaps earlier.”
This will allow for more effective use of disaster response resources.
“With this kind of research and technology, we can open up a lot of opportunities to proactively deliver relief to the right place at the right time, rather than spreading it thinly over a wide area,” Mitra said.
He also said that in the future, storm warning systems would be improved around the world.
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