Should we believe model predictions of future climate change?

被引:183
作者
Knutti, Reto [1 ]
机构
[1] ETH, Inst Atmospher & Climate Sci, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
来源
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES | 2008年 / 366卷 / 1885期
关键词
climate model; uncertainty; probability; climate prediction; future climate change;
D O I
10.1098/rsta.2008.0169
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Predictions of future climate are based on elaborate numerical computer models. As computational capacity increases and better observations become available, one would expect the model predictions to become more reliable. However, are they really improving, and how do we know? This paper discusses how current climate models are evaluated, why and where scientists have confidence in their models, how uncertainty in predictions can be quantified, and why models often tend to converge on what we observe but not on what we predict. Furthermore, it outlines some strategies on how the climate modelling community may overcome some of the current deficiencies in the attempt to provide useful information to the public and policy-makers.
引用
收藏
页码:4647 / 4664
页数:18
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