Earth System Dynamics
Earth System Dynamics
ESD
Articles | Volume 16, issue 2
Articles | Volume 16, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-475-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-475-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 16, issue 2
Perspective
 | Highlight paper
 | 
28 Mar 2025
Perspective | Highlight paper |  | 28 Mar 2025

Potential for equation discovery with AI in the climate sciences

Chris Huntingford, Andrew J. Nicoll, Cornelia Klein, and Jawairia A. Ahmad

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often criticised for being a "black-box" approach that provides no physical insights into the data being analysed. Very recently, a new branch of AI has emerged, called “AI-led equation discovery”. As the name suggests, it aims to reveal process equations underlying the data. This Perspective Article offers a path to align AI methods with climate research, with a focus on the use of AI-led equation discovery in support of Earth System Models.
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AI is impacting science, providing key data insights, but most algorithms are statistical requiring cautious "out-of-sample" extrapolation. Yet climate research concerns predicting future climatic states. We consider a new method of AI-led equation discovery. Equations offer process interpretation and more robust predictions. We recommend this method for climate analysis, suggesting illustrative application to atmospheric convection, land–atmosphere CO2 flux, and global ocean circulation models.
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