Reporting

MAGICC allows the user to view diagnostic outputs from the simulations performed. There are four output files generated by MAGICC, reflecting the four possible combinations that MAGICC uses: either Reference or Policy emissions scenario and either Default or User Model settings for the parameters.

These diagnostic files each contain twenty blocks of output. The first set of four diagnostics relates to different settings of the climate sensitivity. So, in sequence, simulation 1 sets the sensitivity to 1.5°C, simulation 2 to 2.6°C and simulation 3 to 4.5°C. For simulation 4, the sensitivity is set to 2.6°C again, except in the User Model reports where it is set to the user choice (if indeed the user made a choice of sensitivity different from the default value). If not, the value remains at 2.6°C. The second block of four simulations repeats the first block of four except that the SO2 emissions are held constant at 1990 levels; i.e., the effects of future changes in SO2 emissions are excluded from the second block of four simulations. The third, fourth and fifth blocks of information contain results for SO2 emissions from the first, second and third emissions regions for this gas. Information blocks two through five are generated in order to produce the driver files for SCENGEN.

From these diagnostic files it is possible to extract the calculated values for selected years for: radiative forcing, temperature and sea-level change, and the various gas concentrations, the latter being listed at the very end of the file. The choices made in the Output Years sub-menu will affect these values. Thus the choice of reference year, printout interval and first year of model output will all affect the diagnostic information found in the report files.

When viewing these files is finished, click OK. These files are stored as ASCII files in the MAGICC directory and can be printed out if required from windows or under DOS or, alternatively, on any attached printer directly using the Print option. Note that this direct print option will not work with all printers.

You fill find the four report files listed in your MAGICC directory as REPORT.DR, REPORT.UR, REPORT.DP and REPORT.UP. These files are held as ordinary text files and contain most of the output from MAGICC that you should need for further analyses.