User:Femke/Earth System Model

An Earth System Model (ESM) is a complex type of climate model, which includes not only ocean and atmospheric circulation, but also other components of the climate system. While no single definition of an ESM exists, it must at least contain an interactive carbon cycle. Their predecessors, global climate models or general circulation models (GCM) only represented the physical processes in the oceanic and atmospheric. Earth system models are developped by scientific centres around the world, such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research who developed the Community Earth System Model (..) Earth system models include processes that were previously only modelled in ecosystem models, namely biochemical cycles, biogeography and vegetation that adjusts to the changing climate.

Nature education about them: https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/studying-and-projecting-climate-change-with-earth-103087065/ They detail difference with General circulation model as chemistry and biology. Not sure chemistry is always absent from GCMs.

Earth System models of intermediate complexity: make sure not to duplicate.

According to https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00121.1 no unique identifier of what makes an Earth system model an earth system model. At least an interactive carbon cycle.