1. Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter EX1 3PB, UK
2. Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK

Correspondence to: James M. Murphy¹ Email: james.murphy@metoffice.com

Abstract

Comprehensive global climate models¹ are the only tools that account for the complex set of processes which will determine future climate change at both a global and regional level. Planners are typically faced with a wide range of predicted changes from different models of unknown relative quality^{2, 3}, owing to large but unquantified uncertainties in the modelling process⁴. Here we report a systematic attempt to determine the range of climate changes consistent with these uncertainties, based on a 53-member ensemble of model versions constructed by varying model parameters. We estimate a probability density function for the sensitivity of climate to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and obtain a 5–95 per cent probability range of 2.4–5.4 °C. Our probability density function is constrained by objective estimates of the relative reliability of different model versions, the choice of model parameters that are varied and their uncertainty ranges, specified on the basis of expert advice. Our ensemble produces a range of regional changes much wider than indicated by traditional methods based on scaling the response patterns of an individual simulation^{5, 6}.

1. Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter EX1 3PB, UK
2. Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK

Correspondence to: James M. Murphy¹ Email: james.murphy@metoffice.com

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