Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The evaluation of climate models is a crucial step in climate studies. It consists of quantifying the resemblance of model outputs to reference data to identify models with superior capacity to replicate specific climate variables. Clearly, the choice of the evaluation indicator significantly impacts the results, underscoring the importance of selecting an indicator that properly captures the characteristics of a “good model”. This study examines the behaviour of six indicators, considering spatial correlation, distribution mean, variance and shape. Monthly data for precipitation, temperature and teleconnection patterns in Central America were utilized in the analysis. A new multicomponent measure was selected based on these criteria to assess the performance of 32 CMIP6 models in reproducing the annual seasonal cycle of these variables. The top six models were determined using multicriteria methods. It was found that even the best model reproduces one derived climatic variable poorly in this region. The proposed measure and selection method can contribute to enhancing the accuracy of climatological research based on climate models.
DOI: 10.1002/joc.8619
Institution: Universidad de Costa Rica
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4403233668