Attribution Studies
Attribution studies quantify how much global warming contributed to extreme weather by comparing historical data with climate models, revealing specific drivers behind events like floods or heatwaves.
Not to be confused with: Extreme Weather Attribution
Attribution studies are scientific analyses that quantify the influence of specific factors, such as global warming, on extreme weather events. By comparing historical observations with high-resolution climate models, researchers determine how much a particular driver contributed to an event's occurrence, severity, or characteristics.
What this means in real life
A retailer runs both a TV ad and an email campaign in the same week. Attribution studies help determine whether a customer who bought after seeing both actually decided to purchase because of the TV ad, the email, or some combination—rather than crediting all sales to whichever touchpoint happened last.
What it isn’t
Not the same as simply tracking which channel a customer clicked on last before buying. Attribution studies go deeper to measure actual causal influence, not just the final click or impression in a customer's journey.
Commonly misused online
Often conflated with 'last-click attribution'—people assume attribution studies only look at the final touchpoint, when in fact rigorous studies attempt to credit multiple channels fairly across the entire customer journey.
Based on 1 reference source, including government sources. Last verified July 12, 2026.