Briefing Paper

How to Understand and Interpret Global Climate Model Results

Climate modelling approaches projecting future changes to the Earth’s climate vary widely, generating different types of data set. These results are often displayed visually in a variety of formats, such as statistical graphs, maps and increasingly innovative presentations. This guide explains why there are so many climate model results, and how to interpret the various ways in which they are presented, in order to understand what models tell us about likely future climate. It is targeted primarily at technical staff in the government and non-government sectors, to offer an introduction to what can be a confusing and highly technical subject area.