Ordinary Differential Equations
Equations describing how a quantity changes with respect to a single variable, usually time.
Why it matters now
They are the grammar of every climate model, every epidemic projection, every population forecast and every reservoir operating rule. Nothing else lets a person state clearly what is changing, how fast, and what depends on what. Their limits are honest and known, which is more than can be said for intuition.
Where this is happening on Earth
- EuropeSvante Arrhenius, Stockholm, SwedenCalculated the temperature effect of doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide in 1896, by hand.
- North AmericaSyukuro Manabe's radiative-convective models, PrincetonThe first credible quantitative climate projections, recognised with a Nobel Prize.
- AsiaMonsoon dynamics modelling in India and JapanCoupled equations linking ocean heat to rainfall that hundreds of millions depend on.
- AfricaNile reservoir operation modellingRelease rules derived from flow equations govern water shared by eleven countries.
- South AmericaAndean glacier mass balance modelsIce loss equations that set the timetable for water supply to Lima, La Paz, and Quito.
The idea itself
The encyclopedia entry first, then live searches at journals and magazines that keep returning current work on this specific idea.
Current reporting from around the world
Standing feeds at reputable periodicals. These stay fresh on their own, which is why they are here instead of a list of articles that would be out of date within a season.