Editing Principles of Climate Modeling (section)

=== The 3D Grid Structure ===
* '''Horizontal Grid:''' The surface of the Earth is divided into thousands of grid boxes across latitude and longitude.
* '''Vertical Layers:''' The atmosphere is divided into stacked layers stretching from the surface up into the stratosphere. The ocean is similarly divided into depth layers, from the sunlit surface down to the abyssal plains.

Within each of these 3D grid cells, the computer calculates core variables: temperature, pressure, humidity, wind velocity, and salinity.