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Main Authors: Behnoudfar, Pouria, Moser, Charlotte, Bocquet, Marc, Cheng, Sibo, Chen, Nan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.13030
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author Behnoudfar, Pouria
Moser, Charlotte
Bocquet, Marc
Cheng, Sibo
Chen, Nan
author_facet Behnoudfar, Pouria
Moser, Charlotte
Bocquet, Marc
Cheng, Sibo
Chen, Nan
contents Computer models are indispensable tools for understanding the Earth system. While high-resolution operational models have achieved many successes, they exhibit persistent biases, particularly in simulating extreme events and statistical distributions. In contrast, coarse-grained idealized models isolate fundamental processes and can be precisely calibrated to excel in characterizing specific dynamical and statistical features. However, different models remain siloed by disciplinary boundaries. By leveraging the complementary strengths of models of varying complexity, we develop an explainable AI framework for Earth system emulators. It bridges the model hierarchy through a reconfigured latent data assimilation technique, uniquely suited to exploit the sparse output from the idealized models. The resulting bridging model inherits the high resolution and comprehensive variables of operational models while achieving global accuracy enhancements through targeted improvements from idealized models. Crucially, the mechanism of AI provides a clear rationale for these advancements, moving beyond black-box correction to physically insightful understanding in a computationally efficient framework that enables effective physics-assisted digital twins and uncertainty quantification. We demonstrate its power by significantly correcting biases in CMIP6 simulations of El Niño spatiotemporal patterns, leveraging statistically accurate idealized models. This work also highlights the importance of pushing idealized model development and advancing communication between modeling communities.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_13030
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Bridging Idealized and Operational Models: An Explainable AI Framework for Earth System Emulators
Behnoudfar, Pouria
Moser, Charlotte
Bocquet, Marc
Cheng, Sibo
Chen, Nan
Machine Learning
Computer models are indispensable tools for understanding the Earth system. While high-resolution operational models have achieved many successes, they exhibit persistent biases, particularly in simulating extreme events and statistical distributions. In contrast, coarse-grained idealized models isolate fundamental processes and can be precisely calibrated to excel in characterizing specific dynamical and statistical features. However, different models remain siloed by disciplinary boundaries. By leveraging the complementary strengths of models of varying complexity, we develop an explainable AI framework for Earth system emulators. It bridges the model hierarchy through a reconfigured latent data assimilation technique, uniquely suited to exploit the sparse output from the idealized models. The resulting bridging model inherits the high resolution and comprehensive variables of operational models while achieving global accuracy enhancements through targeted improvements from idealized models. Crucially, the mechanism of AI provides a clear rationale for these advancements, moving beyond black-box correction to physically insightful understanding in a computationally efficient framework that enables effective physics-assisted digital twins and uncertainty quantification. We demonstrate its power by significantly correcting biases in CMIP6 simulations of El Niño spatiotemporal patterns, leveraging statistically accurate idealized models. This work also highlights the importance of pushing idealized model development and advancing communication between modeling communities.
title Bridging Idealized and Operational Models: An Explainable AI Framework for Earth System Emulators
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.13030