Definition of the terms model verification, process validation, evaluation and benchmarking for use in the climate model context

Schematic definition of the terms Model Verification, Process Validation, Evaluation and Benchmarking for use in the climate model context. Note that although some form of ranking can be performed during benchmarking, based on the chosen metric and selected observations, this ranking is generally not valid for all metrics, all realms and all possible observational references. Thus, it is important to realize that a "high" ranking of one model for a given comparison does not mean that this model performs well in other climate realms.