Climate classification systems for validating Earth System Models

Climate classification systems (CCSs) were developed in the 19th century to explain the global distribution of plants and animals, but were given a new life in the Earth physics community in the 21st century as a means to validate Earth System Models (ESMs). The purpose of this paper is to critically review the evolution of this approach to validation and to discuss the current status. It is shown that CCSs can not only measure model performance, but also help identify and deconstruct systematic model biases. CCSs provide a rational and comprehensive zonation of the global environment using quantitative estimates of physical variables such as precipitation, temperature, and humidity. They offer several advantages over single variables due to the high sensitivity of the resulting classes to small changes in input variables and dimensionality reduction. CCSs encompass model behavior on both energy and water balances, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of ESM performance.