In meteorology and climatology , global numerical models of atmospheric flow are of increasing interest which use grids that are based on an icosahedron ( 20 sides , refined by triangulation ) instead of the more commonly used longitude\/latitude grid . In meteorology and climatology , global numerical models of atmospheric flow are of increasing interest which employ grids that are based on an icosahedron ( refined by triangulation ) instead of the more commonly used longitude\/latitude grid .