'A challenging work environment...'

I was asked over the weekend what is the most challenging aspect of being a climate scientist. It sounds like a bit of an interview question, I know, but at least it's a bit more original than being asked what the weather's going to be like tomorrow or in fifty years time. I gave the question some thought, and realised that the biggest challenge is dealing with a chaotic and ill-constrained system. A system that is barely predictable. A system that despite being essentially inert is changing all the time. A system in which the slightest anomaly can result in the most catastrophic consequences.

I refer, of course, to the UCLA payroll department.