World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Reto Knutti

Reto Knutti

Award Badge
Environmental Sciences
Switzerland
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Environmental Sciences

D-Index
106
Citations
85575
World Ranking
243
National Ranking
10

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
105
Citations
83792
World Ranking
1169
National Ranking
24

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in Switzerland Leader Award

Overview

Reto Knutti is affiliated with ETH Zurich in Switzerland and specializes in research within Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Sciences. Their primary research contributions focus on topics such as climate variability and models, meteorological phenomena and simulations, and atmospheric and environmental gas dynamics. Additional areas include hydrology and drought analysis, climate change policy and economics, climate change communication and perception, and plant water relations and carbon dynamics.

Their frequent publication venues include:

  • Earth System Dynamics
  • Nature Climate Change
  • Communications Earth & Environment
  • Environmental Research Letters
  • arXiv (Cornell University)

Reto Knutti's frequent co-authors are:

  • Erich Fischer
  • Sebastian Sippel
  • Flavio Lehner
  • Urs Beyerle
  • Katarzyna Tokarska

Some of their recent papers include:

  • An Assessment of Earth's Climate Sensitivity Using Multiple Lines of Evidence, 2020, Reviews of Geophysics
  • Insights from Earth system model initial-condition large ensembles and future prospects, 2020, Nature Climate Change
  • Past warming trend constrains future warming in CMIP6 models, 2020, Science Advances
  • Climate model projections from the Scenario Model Intercomparison Project (ScenarioMIP) of CMIP6, 2021, Earth System Dynamics
  • Increasing probability of record-shattering climate extremes, 2021, Nature Climate Change

The scientist's work includes extensive exploration of global and planetary change as well as atmospheric science, with a smaller portion of research dedicated to environmental engineering, sociology and political science, and economics and econometrics. Their research contributions are primarily situated in the subfield of global and planetary change and atmospheric science.

Best Publications

  • Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis

    Reinhard F. Stocker;D Qin;G.-K. Plattner;M Tignor

  • Global climate projections. Chapter 10

    G A Meehl;T F Stocker;W D Collins;P Friedlingstein

  • Global climate projections

    G.A. Meehl;T. F. Stocker;W. D. Collins;P. Friedlingstein

  • Long-term Climate Change: Projections, Commitments and Irreversibility

    M. Collins;R. Knutti;J.M. Arblaster;J.-L. Dufresne

  • The Scenario Model Intercomparison Project (ScenarioMIP) for CMIP6

    Brian C. O'Neill;Claudia Tebaldi;Detlef P. Van Vuuren;Detlef P. Van Vuuren;Veronika Eyring

  • Irreversible climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions

    Susan Solomon;Gian-Kasper Plattner;Reto Knutti;Pierre Friedlingstein

  • Greenhouse-gas emission targets for limiting global warming to 2 °C

    Malte Meinshausen;Nicolai Meinshausen;William Hare;Sarah C. B. Raper

  • The use of the multi-model ensemble in probabilistic climate projections

    Claudia Tebaldi;Reto Knutti

  • Robustness and uncertainties in the new CMIP5 climate model projections

    Reto Knutti;Jan Sedláček

  • Anthropogenic contribution to global occurrence of heavy-precipitation and high-temperature extremes

    E. M. Fischer;R. Knutti

  • Challenges in Combining Projections from Multiple Climate Models

    Reto Knutti;Reinhard Furrer;Claudia Tebaldi;Jan Cermak

  • An assessment of Earth's climate sensitivity using multiple lines of evidence

    S C Sherwood;M J Webb;J D Annan;K C Armour

  • Uncertainties in CMIP5 Climate Projections due to Carbon Cycle Feedbacks

    Pierre Friedlingstein;Malte Meinshausen;Vivek K. Arora;Chris D. Jones

  • Communication of the role of natural variability in future North American climate

    Clara Deser;Reto Knutti;Susan Solomon;Adam S. Phillips

  • Climate model genealogy: Generation CMIP5 and how we got there

    Reto Knutti;David Masson;Andrew Gettelman;Andrew Gettelman

  • Science and policy characteristics of the Paris Agreement temperature goal

    Carl Friedrich Schleussner;Joeri Rogelj;Joeri Rogelj;Michiel Schaeffer;Tabea Lissner

  • Global warming under old and new scenarios using IPCC climate sensitivity range estimates

    Joeri Rogelj;Malte Meinshausen;Malte Meinshausen;Reto Knutti

  • Persistent growth of CO2 emissions and implications for reaching climate targets

    P. Friedlingstein;Robbie M Andrew;J. Rogelj;J. Rogelj;G.P. Peters

  • Insights from Earth system model initial-condition large ensembles and future prospects

    Clara Deser;Flavio Lehner;Keith B. Rodgers;Toby R. Ault

  • Allowable CO2 emissions based on regional and impact-related climate targets

    Sonia I. Seneviratne;Markus G. Donat;Andy J. Pitman;Reto Knutti

Frequent Co-Authors

Joeri Rogelj
Joeri Rogelj Imperial College London
Thomas F. Stocker
Thomas F. Stocker University of Bern
Pierre Friedlingstein
Pierre Friedlingstein University of Exeter
Malte Meinshausen
Malte Meinshausen University of Melbourne
Myles R. Allen
Myles R. Allen University of Oxford
Keywan Riahi
Keywan Riahi International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Benjamin M. Sanderson
Benjamin M. Sanderson National Center for Atmospheric Research
Flavio Lehner
Flavio Lehner Cornell University
Gian-Kasper Plattner
Gian-Kasper Plattner Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Environmental Sciences, exploring related online degrees can open diverse career opportunities. Many aspiring professionals start with an online general studies bachelor degree cheap, which offers a flexible and cost-effective foundation. This degree can be a strategic stepping stone toward specialized environmental fields.

Additionally, those seeking a more straightforward educational path might consider options listed among the easiest bachelor's degree to get. While straightforward, these programs still provide essential skills valuable in environmental roles.

Specialized degrees like geology degrees online deeply complement Environmental Sciences by focusing on earth processes and resources. Such expertise is critical for careers in natural resource management, conservation, and environmental consulting.

Another growing field is Geographic Information Systems (GIS), where professionals use spatial data to analyze environmental trends. The best GIS undergraduate programs offer training that aligns well with environmental data analysis and mapping careers.

Overall, these related degrees enhance career flexibility and specialization, ensuring graduates are well-equipped to tackle key environmental challenges.

Best Scientists Citing Reto Knutti

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles