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Discussions with potential users during a series of familiarisation workshops and other events revealed that examples of how UKCP09 could be used would be an important component of any user guidance resource. It was also clear that the worked examples should present a range of potential uses by different types of users and in different situations.

The aim of the UKCP09 worked examples is therefore to present generic examples which focus on the process of using UKCP09, and not necessarily on the specific outcomes obtained. It is hoped that the worked examples chosen have potential applicability and transferability to a broad spectrum of users, and are an effective way of providing guidance on ways in which UKCP09 can potentially be used.

Since real UKCP09 outputs were not available until launch, we have developed an initial small set of worked examples, all of which have been undertaken using dummy outputs. All of these are presented in the online version of the UKCP09 User Guidance. As real UKCP09 data becomes available the existing worked examples will be developed into case studies (based on real UKCP09 outputs) and the number of examples provided will grow in number and scope.

Willing authors were identified in various ways, including through recommendations and a set of familiarisation workshops. Attempts were made to ensure that these were representative across a range of use- and user- types. UKCP09 outputs were explored through the use of dummy outputs which are similar in form to those available from UKCP09, albeit with fictitious values and an unspecified location.

The dummy ouputs consisted of a small subset of those outputs that are available in the launch version of UKCP09. Most noticeably, only precipitation and temperature variables were available, only one time period and emission scenario was typically included and no published material (other than the climate of the UK and recent trends report) was available. Participants were asked to assume that the information provided in the dummy output was for their location, emissions scenario and time period of interest. This meant the participants had to be relatively imaginative when exploring the use of the UKCP09 outputs. These limitations should be kept in mind when interpreting this initial set of worked examples.

Within the guidance, worked examples have been identified according to a generic type of use, in order to quickly guide users in their potential applicability. There may be several examples of the same use yet using very different methodologies, which emphasizes that there is no single approach for choosing the relevant information or undertaking an assessment or analysis.

A summary of the initial set of worked examples that are provided in the online guidance can be found in the table alongside. Where appropriate, contact details of each participating organisation and/or links to further information are provided within the summary.  

It is important that the worked examples provided as part of the UKCP09 User Guidance are not interpreted as a best practice method for using UKCP09. They represent a small selection of methods through which outputs of the type provided in UKCP09 have been used to achieve a particular result. Further limitations were imposed through the relatively restricted amount of dummy outputs available. However, the worked examples do provide context within which UKCP09 has been used and are meant to act as a catalyst for other users wanting to undertake similar study activities.