Glossary
The English version of our glossary is currently under construction and will be regularly updated.
Uncertainty
Uncertainty is a means of expressing the extent to which a given value is uncertain (e.g. the future status of the climate system).
Uncertainty is a means of expressing the extent to which a given value is uncertain (e.g. the future status of the climate system). Uncertainty results from a lack of information or from differences of opinion on what is known or what is fundamentally knowable. There are various sources of uncertainty, from concrete errors in the data used, to ambiguously formulated concepts and terminology, to uncertain projections concerning human behaviour. Accordingly, uncertainty can either be expressed quantitatively, e.g. using a selection of calculated values from different models, or via qualitative statements reflecting the assessment of a team of experts.