Model simulations on the earth's mean annual climate

This paper reviews the physical background of Energy Balance Climate Models and evaluates the use of Sellers' and North's model in simulating the present climate. The sensitivity of themodels - with updated empirical constants - is tested for use in the ice-age problem. In this connection the seasonal model of North and Coakley was extended to include a more realisticcontinent-ocean distribution. A simulation of the temperature field with a full-size Northern hemisphere continental ice sheet proved to be in fair agreement with palaeoclimatic proxy data.