The simulations should be assessed by their ability to predict not just globally averaged metrics but changes in atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns and other regional phenomena. (physicstoday.scitation.org)
Confidence in a model is enhanced further if the model is able to capture regional phenomena such as the Asian monsoon, the El Niño — Southern Oscillation and seasonal ice and snowcover, which are important for many impact applications. (ipcc-data.org)
The original paper's authors were given a chance to respond to this critique, and graciously accepted it (DOI: 10.1029 / 2010GL043615), while noting that their main point — be cautious when attributing a given regional phenomenon to anthropogenic climate change — is probably still good advice. (arstechnica.com)