SIMULATING FUNDAMENTAL PROCESSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE: DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS AND COMPARISONS WITH THE CLIMATE RECORD

The climate is changing, largely as a result of human activities, and climate models are the primary tools for projecting future changes in climate. In order for decision makers to properly utilize the information provided by climate models, there is a need to better assess their credibility. Through careful comparison of the fundamental processes that influence climate in model simulations with evidence from the observed climate record, this project will add to our understanding of the reliability of climate models.