Copernicus-funded initiative strengthens SMHI’s climate communication
Over the past two years, SMHI has developed Klimatläget (“The Climate Status”), a Swedish climate awareness service available on smhi.se. The service uses climate data, visualisations, and explanatory texts to make climate change easier for the public in Sweden to explore and understand. Funded through the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) National Collaboration Programme, the initiative demonstrates how C3S data can be adapted and communicated in a national climate service.
The service consists of several parts, each presenting climate information in a different way:
Klimatläget just nu (The Current Climate Status) shows global temperature day by day, in near real time, and makes it possible to compare the current year with previous years.
Klimatgloben (The climate globe) visualises climate conditions on a globe, with monthly data from 1980 onwards for air temperature, sea surface temperature and precipitation. It also presents future temperature projections towards the end of the century, based on different greenhouse gas emission scenarios.
The Climate Facts Package clarifies SMHI’s key messages about climate change through ten thematic pages. The pages combine explanatory texts with visualisations, videos and other content to make the information easier to understand and use.
The Common Misconceptions section explains and clarifies frequently misunderstood aspects of climate change. It helps users understand the science behind climate change and clarifies common claims and misconceptions.
Examples of visualisations in Klimatläget based on C3S ERA5: a monthly air temperature anomaly map (left) and daily air temperatures (right).
“We wanted to gather climate facts in one place, supported by explanatory texts, videos, and visualisations, to make the information more accessible and allow the public to follow developments themselves. To do so, it has been valuable to use Copernicus data to show the rapid changes taking place.” says Frida Gyllensvärd, Project Manager at SMHI.
Klimatläget mainly uses two C3S data sources: ERA5 and the C3S Climate Atlas. Together, these data sources make it possible to present climate change from several perspectives: what is happening now, how recent days and months compare with the past, and how the climate may develop in the future. By combining C3S data with SMHI’s climate expertise and user-oriented communication, the service helps make complex climate information easier to understand and use.
“We are happy that the launch of the webpages received positive feedback, including strong engagement on social media. The initiative also gained broad media attention through coverage in Swedish television, radio, and newspapers.” says Olivia Larsson, who has worked on communications for the project at SMHI. Following the launch, the platform experienced high level of traffic, and throughout 2026 it has continued to attract visitors.