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Abstract

Climate is largely determined by the fluid flows in the atmosphere and oceans. These flows are governed by the laws of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics. These laws are partial differential equations that represent the conservation of mass, momentum, energy and other quantities.1 If we could solve these equations, with the right initial and boundary conditions, then we would have the answers to all the pressing questions of the current climate debate. This, however, is not possible. Even if there were a unique set of such equations the only consensus about them is that they are highly and multiply nonlinear. They couple processes across all scales, from the planetary scales of wind and current systems to the micro-scales of molecular diffusion. The resulting flow is turbulent, with everything depending on everything else. It is also impossible to know the exact initial and boundary conditions, such as the exact shape of the continents or the details of human land use.