A prototype for a numerical simulation system that could potentially predict natural disasters in the foreseeable future debuted in Beijing on Wednesday, reported Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
The current technology can be used by scientists to support research regarding short-term climate prediction, as well as dust and haze control. Chinese scientists are already doing research in these fields.
The prototype was developed under the lead of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is capable of producing a numerical simulation of Earth, and it features a visualization system and support network.
A researcher with the institute, Zhang Minghua said that the system of the prototype applies experience and features gained from the Earth system model version 1.0, which can be used to predict evolutionary changes in the ocean current, atmosphere, land surface process and ecology.
The State Council of the People's Republic of China, the country's cabinet, has urged the scientific community to research and develop a "numerical simulator of the Earth system" since March 2013.
According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the prototype system is the first important step toward a full simulator that can help predict natural disasters.
Ecosystem changes, especially those linked with the climate and climate change, have become a global scientific problem during the last few decades.
According to statistics provided by the China Meteorological Administration, as much as 70 percent of all natural disasters are directly related to the condition of the climate. An estimated 400 million people are affected by major climate disasters each year in China alone.