Join Exeter Humanists to explore the fascinating topic of climate models and long-term projections with Jeff Ridley, climate scientist at the Met Office.

We can only reliably predict the future climate about 2 years ahead. However, infrastructure projects based on timescales of 50 years or more require climate models. The outcomes of these models are called ‘projections’, rather than ‘predictions’; the distinction will be explained.

This talk discusses how such models work, how reliable such projections are, and how we test them. The Met Office climate model is unique in that it is the same model as used for weather forecasting and seasonal predication. Each of these timescales requires different applications of the same model. 

There are some 40 major climate models in the world, and most are used for climate studies alone. Some examples on the applications of climate models will be provided, with discussions on how artificial intelligence is driving future models.

Jeff Ridley is a climate scientist at the Met Office, where he specialises in developing and assessing the climate model in the polar regions. Prior to joining the Met Office in 1997, he worked at University College London on satellite observations, supported by two field campaigns, to Antarctica and the Australian desert, to verify them.