Computational models designed to capture detailed, small-scale processes or variations within a system, often at high spatial or temporal resolution.

When scientists are looking at a large area, they often have to average the information they have to make large-scale predictions. Details about specific areas are lost when they are averaged together. Sometimes, general trends over a large area is more useful to know. Other times, specific information about a small area is more helpful. To learn about what is happening in a small area, scientists create models with a lot of information from that area to show what is happening there more clearly. This is called a fine scale simulation. Fine scale simulations take a lot of specific information to make, so it isn’t practical to do them over large areas.