Validation of climate models

Abstract

The validation of climate models using satellite precipitation measurements presents some particularities. By construction, climate models are different from reanalyses and numerical weather prediction models, and several specificities affect the methods of validation and the interpretation of the results. Thus, for instance, an important topic to consider is that climate models are not always intended to provide the temporal succession of the weather but the statistics of the weather over long periods, and that fact affects the validation strategy. In addition, there is a set of quality standards that need to be fulfilled even before analyzing the statistics or the qualitative agreement with observations.