Latest revision as of 07:13, 22 May 2026

Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis (WGI)

Report Summary

Citation Suggestion

IPCC, 2021: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S.L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M.I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T.K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu, and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 2391 pp. doi:10.1017/9781009157896.

Acronyms

Acronyms used in this report

20CR A1B AABW AAIW AAO abrupt4xCO2 ACC ACCESS ACCMIP ACE AED AerChemMIP AeroCom AERONET AEW AF AFOLU AFR AGAGE AGCM AGFP AGR/ECOL AGTP AGWP AIRS AIS ALL ALT AMIP AMM AMMA AMO AMOC AMSU AMV AO AOD AOGCM AP AQ AR AR4 AR5 AR6 ARO ARP ARS ASE AUS AusMCM AVHRR AZM BC BCE BCP BE BECCS BOB BP BrC BSISO BU BVOC C3S C4MIP CAF CAM CAMS CanESM2 CanESM5 CAPE CAR CAU CCM CCMI CCN CCS CCT CD CDD CDR CDRMIP CDW CE CEDS CERES CESM CFCs CFMIP CFSR CGTP CH4 CICERO CID CISM2 CLLJ CLSAT CMAP CMIP CMIP3 CMIP5 CMIP6 CNA CNRM CO CO2 CO2-eq COBE CORDEX COSMO COVID-19 CP CPM CRA CRE CRM CRU CRUTEM CRUTS CSIRO DACCS DAMIP DCPP DECK DeepMIP DF DGVM DI DIC DJF DJFM DMS DTR DU EAIS EAN EAO EAS EAsiaM EASM EAU EAWM EBAF EBM EBUS ECMWF ECS ECV ECWL EDW EECO EEU EgC EIO EMIC ENA ENSO EOF EOV EP EPA EPO EqAmer ERA-Interim ERA20C ERA20CM ERA5 ERF ERFaci ERFari ERSST ESA ESA CCI ESAF ESB ESGF ESL ESM ESMValTool ESRL ESWL ET ETC ETCCDI ETWL EU FaIR FAIR FAPAR FAR FD FESOM FFDI FOLU fSST GCM GCOS GCP GDD GDP GeoMIP GFCS GFDL GHCN GHCNd GHCNv4 GHG GHM GIA GIC GISS GISTEMP GlacierMIP GLDAS GloGEM GM GMMIP GMSL GMST GMTSL GNSS GOME GOSAT GPCC GPCP GPM GPS GRACE GRD GrIS GSAT GSMaP GtC GtCO2 GTP GWL GWP HadCRUT HadEX3 HadGEM HadISST HadSST HC HCFC HD HFC HI HighResMIP HKH HNO3 IAGOS IAM ICE ICESat ICOADS IMBIE INP IOB IOD IPBES IPCC IPO IPSL IRF IRFaci IRFari ISIMIP ITCZ ITF JAS JAXA JJA JJAS JMA JRA-55 LAI LAP LARMIP LDT LEO LGM LIG LLGHG LLHI LNOx LR LSAT LUC LULUCF LW LWP LWS MAGICC MAM MAT MCB MCO MCS MDG MED MENA MERRA METACLIP MH MHW MICI MIP MIROC MIS MISI MISMIP MJO MLO MME MOC MODIS MPI MPWP MRI MSD MTFR N2O NADW NAM NAmerM NAO NARCCAP NASA NASH NAU NBP NCA NCAR NCEI NCEP NDC NDD NDVI NEAF NEN NES NEU NH NH3 NH4 NMAT NMVOC NO2 NO3 NOAA NOAAGlobalTemp NorESM NOx NPO NPP NSA NWN NWS NZ OA OC ODS OECD OH OHC OLR OLS OMI OMIP PA PAGES 2K PC pCO2 PDO PDSI PDV PERSIANN-CDR PETM PgC PgCeq PlioMIP PM PM10 PM2.5 PMIP POA PP PSS-78 QBO RAR RCM RCMIP RCP RF RFC RFE RFMIP RH RICH RKR RO RSL RSLR SAH SAI SAM SAmerM SAO SAOD SAR SARF SAS SAsiaM SAT SAU SCA SCE ScenarioMIP SCM SDG SEA SEAF SED SEJ SES SF6 SH SIA SIDS SIE SLCF SLE SLP SLR SMAP SMB SMILE SO2 SO4 SOA SOI SON SOO SOx SPCZ SPEI SPI SPM SPO SR1.5 SRCCL SRES SREX SRI SRM SROCC SSA SSP SST SSW STE SW SWE SWS SWV TAR TAV TC TCR TCRE TCWV Tg ThSL TIB TNn TNx TOA ToE TPI TRMM TS TSI UAH UHI UN UNEP UNFCCC UTLS UV UVic ESCM VLM VOC VPD VSLS WAF WAfriM WAIS WAN WBC WBGT WC WCA WCE WCRP WG WHO WMGHG WMO WNA WNP WOA18 WSAF WSB WUE YJ ZEC ZJ

Glossary Terms

Glossary terms in this report

1.5°C warmer worlds 13C 14C Ablation Abrupt change Abrupt climate change Accumulation Active layer Adaptation Adaptation options Adaptive capacity Added value Adjustments Advection Aerosol Aerosol–cloud interaction Aerosol effective radiative forcing Aerosol optical depth Aerosol–radiation interaction Afforestation Agreement Agricultural and ecological drought Air mass Air pollution Airborne fraction Albedo Alkalinity Altimetry Annular modes Anomaly Antarctic Ice Sheet Anthropocene Anthropogenic Anthropogenic emissions Anthropogenic removals Anthropogenic subsidence Apparent hydrological sensitivity Arctic oscillation Arid zone Aridity Artificial ocean upwelling Assets Atlantic Meridional Mode Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation Atlantic Multi-decadal Variability Atlantic Zonal Mode Atmosphere Atmospheric boundary layer Atmospheric rivers Attribution Australian and Maritime Continent monsoon Autotrophic respiration Avalanche Basal lubrication Baseline period Baseline/reference Baseline scenario Benthic Biodiversity Bioenergy with carbon dioxide capture and storage Biogenic volatile organic compounds Biogeophysical potential Biological pump Biomass Biosphere Bipolar seesaw Black carbon Blocking Blue carbon Brewer–Dobson circulation Burden Business as usual CO2 equivalent emission Calcification Calving Canopy temperature Carbon–climate feedback Carbon cycle Carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide fertilisation Carbon dioxide capture and storage Carbon dioxide removal Carbon feedback Carbon neutrality Carbon sequestration Carbonaceous aerosol Carbonate pump Catchment Cenozoic Era Central Pacific El Niño Chaotic Charcoal Chlorofluorocarbons Chronology Cirrus cloud thinning Clathrate Clausius–Clapeyron equation/relationship Climate Climate–carbon cycle feedback Climate change commitment Climate extreme Climate feedback Climate feedback parameter Climate forecast Climate index Climate indicator Climate information Climate metrics Climate model Climate pattern Climate prediction Climate projection Climate response Climate sensitivity Climate services Climate simulation ensemble Climate system Climate threshold Climate variability Climate velocity Climatic impact-driver Cloud condensation nuclei Cloud feedback Cloud radiative effect Cloud-resolving models Coast Cold days/cold nights Common era Compatible emissions Compound weather/climate events Concentrations scenario Confidence Constant composition commitment Constant emissions commitment Convection Coral bleaching Coral reef Cosmogenic radioisotopes Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Cryosphere Cumulative emissions Dansgaard-Oeschger events Data assimilation Dead zones Decadal predictability Decadal prediction Decadal variability Deep uncertainty Deforestation Deglacial or deglaciation or glacial termination Detection Detection and attribution Diatoms Dimensions of integration Direct air capture Direct emissions Disaster Discharge Dissolved inorganic carbon Diurnal temperature range Dobson unit Downscaling Drought Dynamic global vegetation model Dynamical system Early Eocene Climatic Optimum Earth’s energy budget Earth's energy flows Earth's energy imbalance Earth's radiative response Earth system feedbacks Earth system model Earth system model of intermediate complexity Earth system sensitivity East Asian monsoon Eastern Pacific El Niño Eastern boundary upwelling systems Economic potential Ecosystem Effective equilibrium climate sensitivity Effective radiative forcing due to aerosol–cloud interactions Effective radiative forcing due to aerosol–radiation interactions Ekman transport El Niño–Southern Oscillation Electromagnetic spectrum Elevation-dependent warming Emergence Emergent constraint Emission factor/Emissions intensity Emission pathways Emissions scenario Emulation Emulators Energy balance Energy balance model Energy budget Enhanced weathering Ensemble Equilibrium and transient climate experiment Equilibrium climate sensitivity Equilibrium line Equivalent carbon dioxide emission Eutrophication Evaporation Evapotranspiration Evidence Exposure Extended concentration pathways External forcing Extratropical cyclone Extratropical jets Extreme climate event Extreme/heavy precipitation event Extreme sea level Extreme weather event Faculae Fine-mode aerosol optical depth Fingerprint Fire weather Firn Fitness-for-purpose Flaring Flood Flux Foraminifera Forcing Forest Fossil fuel emissions Fossil fuels Free atmosphere Frozen ground General circulation General circulation model Geocentric sea level change Geoid Geostrophic winds or currents Glacial-interglacial cycles Glacial isostatic adjustment Glacial lake outburst flood /Glacier lake outburst Glacial or glaciation Glaciated Glacier Glacierized Global carbon budget Global dimming Global energy budget Global energy inventory Global mean sea level change Global mean surface air temperature Global mean surface temperature Global monsoon Global warming Global warming potential "Gravitational rotational and deformational effects" Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Greenhouse effect Greenhouse gas emission metric Greenhouse gas neutrality Greenhouse gases Greenland Ice Sheet Gross primary production Ground-level ozone Grounding line Gyre Hadley circulation Halocarbons Halocline Halosteric Halosteric sea level change Hazard Heat index Heat stress Heatwave Heavy precipitation event Heinrich event Heterotrophic respiration Hindcast or retrospective forecast Holocene Human influence on the climate system Human system Hydroclimate Hydrofluorocarbons Hydrological cycle Hydrological drought Hydrological sensitivity Hydrosphere Hypoxic Hypsometry Ice age Ice–albedo feedback Ice core Ice sheet Ice shelf Ice stream Iceberg Indian Ocean Dipole Indian Ocean basin mode Indirect land-use change Industrial revolution Insolation Instantaneous radiative forcing due to aerosol–cloud interactions Instantaneous radiative forcing due to aerosol–radiation interactions Integrated assessment model Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation Inter-tropical Convergence Zone Interglacial or interglaciation Internal climate variability Internal variability Interpolation uncertainty Interstadial or interstade Irreversibility Isostatic or Isostasy Isotopes Key climate indicators Kriging Land Land cover Land-cover change Land surface air temperature Land use Land-use change Land water storage Lapse rate Large-scale Last millennium Latent heat flux Lifetime Light-absorbing particles Likelihood Lithosphere Livelihood Local sea level change Long-lived greenhouse gases "Low-likelihood high impact outcomes" Madden–Julian Oscillation Maladaptive actions Marine-based ice sheet Marine cloud brightening Marine heatwave Marine ice cliff instability Marine ice sheet instability Marine isotope stage Mass balance/budget Mean sea level Megacity Meltwater Pulse 1A Meridional overturning circulation Meteorological drought Methane Microclimate Microwave sounding unit Mineralization/Remineralization Mitigation Mitigation pathways Mitigation potential Mitigation scenario Model initialization Model spread Modes of climate variability Mole fraction or mixing ratio Montreal Protocol Narrative Natural systems Natural variability Near-surface permafrost Negative greenhouse gas emissions Net negative greenhouse gas emissions Net primary production Net zero CO2 emissions Net zero greenhouse gas emissions Nitrogen deposition Nitrous oxide Non-CO2 emissions and radiative forcing Non-linearity Non-methane volatile organic compounds Non-overshoot pathways North American monsoon North Atlantic Oscillation Northern Annular Mode Ocean Ocean acidification Ocean alkalinization/Ocean alkalinity enhancement Ocean carbon cycle Ocean deoxygenation Ocean dynamic sea level change Ocean fertilisation Ocean heat uptake efficiency Ocean stratification Orbital forcing Organic aerosol Outgoing longwave radiation Outlet glacier Overshoot pathways Oxygen minimum zone Ozone Ozone-depleting substances Ozone layer Ozonesonde Pacific Decadal Oscillation Pacific Decadal Variability Pacific-North American pattern Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum Paleoclimate Pathways Pattern scaling Peat Peatlands Percentile Permafrost Permafrost degradation Permafrost thaw Perturbed parameter ensemble Phenology Photosynthesis Physical climate storyline Plankton Plant evaporative stress Pleistocene Pliocene Polar amplification Pollen analysis Potential evapotranspiration Pre-industrial Precipitable water Precursors Predictability Prediction quality/skill Primary production Probability density function Process-based model Projection Proxy Quasi-Biennial Oscillation Quaternary Radiative forcing Rapid dynamical change Reanalysis Reasons for Concern Reconstruction Reference period Reference scenario Reforestation Region Regional climate messages Regional climate model Regional sea level change Relative humidity Relative sea level change Remaining carbon budget Representative Concentration Pathways Reservoir Resilience Resolution Respiration Response time or adjustment time Return period Return value Risk Risk assessment Risk framework Risk management Risk perception Risk trade-off River discharge Rock glacier Runoff Sampling uncertainty Scenario Scenario storyline Sea ice Sea ice area Sea ice concentration Sea ice extent Sea level change Sea level equivalent Sea level rise Sea surface temperature Semi-empirical model Sensible heat flux Sequestration Sequestration potential Shared socio-economic pathways Short-lived climate forcers Short-lived climate pollutants Significant wave height Simple climate model Sink Small Island Developing States Snow cover Snow cover duration Snow cover extent Snow water equivalent Socio-economic scenario Soil moisture Soil temperature Solar activity Solar cycle Solar radiation Solar radiation modification Solubility pump Source South American monsoon South Pacific Convergence Zone South and South East Asian monsoon Southern Annular Mode Specific humidity Stadial or stade Steric sea level change Storm surge Storm tracks Storyline Stratification Stratosphere Stratosphere–troposphere exchange Stratospheric aerosol injection Stratospheric ozone Stratospheric polar vortex Stratospheric sounding unit Streamflow Subduction Sudden stratospheric warming Sulphur hexafluoride Sunspots Surface energy budget Surface mass balance Surprises Swash Talik Technical potential Teleconnection Teleconnection pattern Temperature overshoot Terrestrial radiation Thermocline Thermokarst Thermosteric sea level change Tide gauge Time of emergence Tipping element Tipping point Top-of-atmosphere energy budget Total alkalinity Total carbon budget Total solar irradiance Total water level Trace gas Transient climate response Transient climate response to cumulative CO2 emissions Tree rings Trend estimates uncertainty Tropical Atlantic Variability Tropical cyclone Tropopause Troposphere Tropospheric ozone Tundra Turnover time Typological regions Uncertainty United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Uptake Upwelling region Urban heat island Urbanization Ventilation Vertical land motion Very short-lived halogenated substances Volatile organic compounds Vulnerability Walker circulation Water cycle Water mass Water security Wave setup Weathering Well-mixed greenhouse gas West African monsoon Wetland Younger Dryas Zero emissions commitment PH

@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 | acronyms = 20CR, A1B, AABW, AAIW, AAO, abrupt4xCO2, ACC, ACCESS, ACCMIP, ACE, AED, AerChemMIP, AeroCom, AERONET, AEW, AF, AFOLU, AFR, AGAGE, AGCM, AGFP, AGR/ECOL, AGTP, AGWP, AIRS, AIS, ALL, ALT, AMIP, AMM, AMMA, AMO, AMOC, AMSU, AMV, AO, AOD, AOGCM, AP, AQ, AR, AR4, AR5, AR6, ARO, ARP, ARS, ASE, AUS, AusMCM, AVHRR, AZM, BC, BCE, BCP, BE, BECCS, BOB, BP, BrC, BSISO, BU, BVOC, C3S, C4MIP, CAF, CAM, CAMS, CanESM2, CanESM5, CAPE, CAR, CAU, CCM, CCMI, CCN, CCS, CCT, CD, CDD, CDR, CDRMIP, CDW, CE, CEDS, CERES, CESM, CFCs, CFMIP, CFSR, CGTP, CH4, CICERO, CID, CISM2, CLLJ, CLSAT, CMAP, CMIP, CMIP3, CMIP5, CMIP6, CNA, CNRM, CO, CO2, CO2-eq, COBE, CORDEX, COSMO, COVID-19, CP, CPM, CRA, CRE, CRM, CRU, CRUTEM, CRUTS, CSIRO, DACCS, DAMIP, DCPP, DECK, DeepMIP, DF, DGVM, DI, DIC, DJF, DJFM, DMS, DTR, DU, EAIS, EAN, EAO, EAS, EAsiaM, EASM, EAU, EAWM, EBAF, EBM, EBUS, ECMWF, ECS, ECV, ECWL, EDW, EECO, EEU, EgC, EIO, EMIC, ENA, ENSO, EOF, EOV, EP, EPA, EPO, EqAmer, ERA-Interim, ERA20C, ERA20CM, ERA5, ERF, ERFaci, ERFari, ERSST, ESA, ESA CCI, ESAF, ESB, ESGF, ESL, ESM, ESMValTool, ESRL, ESWL, ET, ETC, ETCCDI, ETWL, EU, FaIR, FAIR, FAPAR, FAR, FD, FESOM, FFDI, FOLU, fSST, GCM, GCOS, GCP, GDD, GDP, GeoMIP, GFCS, GFDL, GHCN, GHCNd, GHCNv4, GHG, GHM, GIA, GIC, GISS, GISTEMP, GlacierMIP, GLDAS, GloGEM, GM, GMMIP, GMSL, GMST, GMTSL, GNSS, GOME, GOSAT, GPCC, GPCP, GPM, GPS, GRACE, GRD, GrIS, GSAT, GSMaP, GtC, GtCO2, GTP, GWL, GWP, HadCRUT, HadEX3, HadGEM, HadISST, HadSST, HC, HCFC, HD, HFC, HI, HighResMIP, HKH, HNO3, IAGOS, IAM, ICE, ICESat, ICOADS, IMBIE, INP, IOB, IOD, IPBES, IPCC, IPO, IPSL, IRF, IRFaci, IRFari, ISIMIP, ITCZ, ITF, JAS, JAXA, JJA, JJAS, JMA, JRA-55, LAI, LAP, LARMIP, LDT, LEO, LGM, LIG, LLGHG, LLHI, LNOx, LR, LSAT, LUC, LULUCF, LW, LWP, LWS, MAGICC, MAM, MAT, MCB, MCO, MCS, MDG, MED, MENA, MERRA, METACLIP, MH, MHW, MICI, MIP, MIROC, MIS, MISI, MISMIP, MJO, MLO, MME, MOC, MODIS, MPI, MPWP, MRI, MSD, MTFR, N2O, NADW, NAM, NAmerM, NAO, NARCCAP, NASA, NASH, NAU, NBP, NCA, NCAR, NCEI, NCEP, NDC, NDD, NDVI, NEAF, NEN, NES, NEU, NH, NH3, NH4, NMAT, NMVOC, NO2, NO3, NOAA, NOAAGlobalTemp, NorESM, NOx, NPO, NPP, NSA, NWN, NWS, NZ, OA, OC, ODS, OECD, OH, OHC, OLR, OLS, OMI, OMIP, PA, PAGES 2K, PC, pCO2, PDO, PDSI, PDV, PERSIANN-CDR, PETM, PgC, PgCeq, PlioMIP, PM, PM10, PM2.5, PMIP, POA, PP, PSS-78, QBO, RAR, RCM, RCMIP, RCP, RF, RFC, RFE, RFMIP, RH, RICH, RKR, RO, RSL, RSLR, SAH, SAI, SAM, SAmerM, SAO, SAOD, SAR, SARF, SAS, SAsiaM, SAT, SAU, SCA, SCE, ScenarioMIP, SCM, SDG, SEA, SEAF, SED, SEJ, SES, SF6, SH, SIA, SIDS, SIE, SLCF, SLE, SLP, SLR, SMAP, SMB, SMILE, SO2, SO4, SOA, SOI, SON, SOO, SOx, SPCZ, SPEI, SPI, SPM, SPO, SR1.5, SRCCL, SRES, SREX, SRI, SRM, SROCC, SSA, SSP, SST, SSW, STE, SW, SWE, SWS, SWV, TAR, TAV, TC, TCR, TCRE, TCWV, Tg, ThSL, TIB, TNn, TNx, TOA, ToE, TPI, TRMM, TS, TSI, UAH, UHI, UN, UNEP, UNFCCC, UTLS, UV, UVic ESCM, VLM, VOC, VPD, VSLS, WAF, WAfriM, WAIS, WAN, WBC, WBGT, WC, WCA, WCE, WCRP, WG, WHO, WMGHG, WMO, WNA, WNP, WOA18, WSAF, WSB, WUE, YJ, ZEC, ZJ
 }}
 == Glossary Terms ==
 {{GlossaryTerms

IPCC:AR6/WGI: Difference between revisions