Models used for the gridded monthly climate projection dataset underpinning the IPCC AR6 Interactive Atlas

Last modified on Jul 11, 2023 10:55

The IPCC AR6 Interactive Atlas (see also the IPCC Atlas chapter) displays future climate change projections for 22 atmospheric and oceanic variables and indices building on a harmonized gridded monthly climate projection dataset computed from global (CMIP5/6) and regional (CORDEX) experiments. The particular ensembles used are described in the IPCC AR6 Atlas Supplementary Material and do not correspond exactly with the CMIP6, CMIP5 and CORDEX datasets available from the CDS. Note that in the case of CORDEX there are only a few differences corresponding to a few CDS simulation updates, since the original CDS dataset was used for the preparation of the IPCC Interactive Atlas (see Diez-Sierra et al. 2022). In the case of CMIP5/6, differences correspond to missing  or additional models and different versions/replicas; note that the CMIP5 dataset corresponds to the frozen version used in AR5 (including no subsequent versions/updates) whereas the CMIP6 dataset corresponds to the versions published before the 31 January 2021 IPCC AR6 cut-off deadline.

The Figures 1-3 below show the particular GCMs (or the GCM-RCM combinations in the case of CORDEX) in rows and their scenario availability (in colours) for the different variables and indices (in columns, with codes described in Table 1) included in the dataset.

CMIP6

Figure 1.  CMIP6 GCMs (in rows) and their scenario availability (in colours) for the different variables and indices (in columns, with codes described in Table 1).

CMIP5

Figure 2  CMIP5 GCMs (in rows) and their scenario availability (in colours) for the different variables and indices (in columns, with codes described in Table 1).

CORDEX

Figure 3. CORDEX GCM-RCM simulations (in rows) and their scenario availability (represented by colours) for the different variables and indices (in columns, with codes described in Table 1). The simulations for each CORDEX domain are separated in blocks as indicated with the label in the right margin (the domain definitions are available at CORDEX: Regional climate projections).

Table 1: Codes used in Figures 1-3 for the variables and indices included in the dataset.

Related articles

• Page:
  CMIP6: Global climate projections
• Page:
  CORDEX: Regional climate projections
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  CMIP6: Decadal climate predictions
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  Evaluation of CDS climate projections