How climate scientists harness artificial intelligence to handle big data

A book from 1984 bears testimony to Dr Carsten Brockmann's long interest in artificial intelligence (AI). Today he is applying this knowledge at an ever-increasing pace to his other interest, climate change. "What was theoretical back then is now becoming best practice," says Brockmann, who believes AI has the power to address pressing challenges facing climate researchers. Orbiting our planet with sensors pointing Earthwards are over 700 Earth observation satellites, transmitting hundreds of terabytes each day to downlink stations. Processing and extracting useful information is a huge data challenge, with volumes rising quasi-exponentially.