For analysing future scenarios, climate variability in a multi-model framework and understanding climate change impacts, the CMIP6 mulit-model ensemble (coupled model intercomparison project) is used. CMIP is a “large program to advance model development and scientific understanding of the Earth system” (WCRP-Climate) of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)’s Working Group of Coupled Modelling (WGCM). It involves more than 30 groups around the world, 21 model intercomparison projects were endorsed based on their relevance to the Grand Challenges of the World Climate Research programme and to the fundamental science questions of CMIP6. The model simulations have also been assessed in international climate assessments and negotiations, such as the IPCC assessment reports.
For the Webportal ClimateImpactsOnline the bias-adjusted ISIMIP3b climate input data from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP) was used. The data set contains original GCM data, extracted from the CMIP6 archive. For bias correction and statistical downscaling the ISIMIP3BASD and W5E5 v2.0.was applied (Lange, 2019a, 2020). Pre-industrial (1601-1849), historical (1850-2014) and future (2015-2100) conditions are provided by the CMIP6 output from the different models. CMIP6 scenarios used in ISIMIP3b are following: Pre-industrial control experiment (piControl), historical, ssp126 (SSP1-RCP2.6), ssp370 (SSP3-RCP7) and ssp585 (SSP5-RCP8.5). As variables ISIMIP3b includes near-surface relative humidity, near-surface specific humidity, near-surface wind speed, daily maximum temperature, daily mean temperature, daily minimium temperature, long wave downwelling radiation, short wave downwelling radiation, snowfall, surface air pressure and total precipitation.
The ISIMMIP3b data includes following models:| Model | Link |
|---|---|
| GFDL-ESM4 | GFDL, ISIMIP input data GFDL-ESM4 |
| IPSL-CM6A-LR | IPSL, ISIMIP input data IPSL-CM6A-LR |
| MPI-ESM1-2-HR | Max-Planck-Institut für Meterologie, ISIMIP input data MPI-ESM1-2-HR |
| MRI-ESM2-0 | Max-Planck-Institut, ISIMIP input data MRI-ESM2-0 |
| UKESM1-0-LL | UKESM, ISIMIP input data UKESM1-0-LL |
The climate model, which is part of the CMIP6 project, was released in 2018. It consists of:
"aerosol: interactive (including aerosol indirect effect), atmos: GFDL-AM4.1 (Cubed-sphere (c96) - 1 degree nominal horizontal resolution; 360 x 180 longitude/latitude; 49 levels; top level 1 Pa), atmosChem: GFDL-ATMCHEM4.1 (full atmospheric chemistry), land: GFDL-LM4.1 (land model with a new vegetation dynamics model with explicit treatment of plant age and height structure and soil microbes, with daily fire, crops, pasture, and grazing tiles),
landIce: GFDL-LM4.1, ocean: GFDL-OM4p5 (GFDL-MOM6, tripolar - nominal 0.5 deg; 720 x 576 longitude/latitude; 75 levels; top grid cell 0-2 m), ocnBgchem: GFDL-COBALTv2, seaIce: GFDL-SIM4p5 (GFDL-SIS2.0, tripolar - nominal 0.5 deg; 720 x 576 longitude/latitude; 5 layers; 5 thickness categories), with radiative transfer and C-grid dynamics for compatibility with MOM6.
The model was run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA (NOAA-GFDL) in native nominal resolutions: aerosol: 100 km, atmos: 100 km, atmosChem: 100 km, land: 100 km, landIce: 100 km, ocean: 50 km, ocnBgchem: 50 km, seaIce: 50 km."
Source: CMIP6.CMIP.IPSL.IPSL-CM6A-LR
The IPSL-CM6A-LR climate model was released in 2017 and is also part of the CMIP project.
The model includes the components:
"atmos: LMDZ (NPv6, N96; 144 x 143 longitude/latitude; 79 levels; top level 80000 m), land: ORCHIDEE (v2.0, Water/Carbon/Energy mode), ocean: NEMO-OPA (eORCA1.3, tripolar primarily 1deg; 362 x 332 longitude/latitude; 75 levels; top grid cell 0-2 m), ocnBgchem: NEMO-PISCES, seaIce: NEMO-LIM3.
The model was run by the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Paris 75252, France (IPSL) in native nominal resolutions: atmos: 250 km, land: 250 km, ocean: 100 km, ocnBgchem: 100 km, seaIce: 100 km."
Source: CMIP6.CMIP.IPSL.IPSL-CM6A-LR
The MPI-ESM consists of the coupled general circulation models for the atmosphere and the ocean,
ECHAM6 (spectral T127; 384 x 192 longitude/latitude; 95 levels; top level 0.01 hPa) and MPIOM (tripolar TP04, approximately 0.4deg; 802 x 404 longitude/latitude; 40 levels; top grid cell 0-12 m),
and the subsystem models for land and vegetation JSBACH3.20 and for the marine biogeochemistry HAMOCC6. It is run by the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg 20146, Germany (MPI-M) in native nominal resolutions:
"aerosol: 100 km, atmos: 100 km, land: 100 km, landIce: none, ocean: 50 km, ocnBgchem: 50 km, seaIce: 50 km."
Source: CMIP6.HighResMIP.MPI-M.MPI-ESM1-2-HR
The model MRI-ESM2.0 was released in 2017 and run by the Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0052, Japan (MRI). It includes the following components:
"aerosol: MASINGAR mk2r4 (TL95; 192 x 96 longitude/latitude; 80 levels; top level 0.01 hPa), atmos: MRI-AGCM3.5 (TL159; 320 x 160 longitude/latitude; 80 levels; top level 0.01 hPa), atmosChem: MRI-CCM2.1 (T42; 128 x 64 longitude/latitude; 80 levels; top level 0.01 hPa), land: HAL 1.0, ocean: MRI.COM4.4 (tripolar primarily 0.5 deg latitude/1 deg longitude with meridional refinement down to 0.3 deg within 10 degrees north and south of the equator; 360 x 364 longitude/latitude; 61 levels; top grid cell 0-2 m), ocnBgchem: MRI.COM4.4, seaIce: MRI.COM4.4.
The model was run in native nominal resolutions: aerosol: 250 km, atmos: 100 km, atmosChem: 250 km, land: 100 km, ocean: 100 km, ocnBgchem: 100 km, seaIce: 100 km."
Source: CMIP6.CMIP.MRI.MRI-ESM2-0
UKESM1 consists of the NEMO ocean model and the CICE sea-ice, as well as the JULES land surface model, with TRIFFID dynamic vegetation. Furthermore, the model simulates atmospheric chemistry and aerosols using UKCA, marine biogeochemistry with MEDUSA and dynamic ice-sheets with the BISICLES model. Source: UKESM
Sources:
Eyring, V., S. Bony, G. A. Meehl, C. A. Senior, B. Stevens, R. J. Stouffer, and K. E. Taylor, 2016: Overview of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6(CMIP6) experimental design and organization. Geoscientific Model Development, 9, 1937−1958, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-1937-2016.