A Bayesian posterior predictive framework for weighting ensemble regional climate models

• Main Authors: Y. Fan, R. Olson, J. P. Evans
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2017-06-01
• Series: Geoscientific Model Development
• Online Access: http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/10/2321/2017/gmd-10-2321-2017.pdf

We present a novel Bayesian statistical approach to computing model weights in climate change projection ensembles in order to create probabilistic projections. The weight of each climate model is obtained by weighting the current day observed data under the posterior distribution admitted under competing climate models. We use a linear model to describe the model output and observations. The approach accounts for uncertainty in model bias, trend and internal variability, including error in the observations used. Our framework is general, requires very little problem-specific input, and works well with default priors. We carry out cross-validation checks that confirm that the method produces the correct coverage.