CMIP6

The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6, or CMIP6, is a global research project that coordinates climate modeling efforts worldwide. It aims to understand past, present, and future climate changes. CMIP6 brings together climate modeling centers from around the globe, who run a suite of climate models based on common experimental protocols. These models simulate the Earth's climate system, including the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice, under various scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions and other forcing agents.

The primary goal of CMIP6 is to provide a standardized framework for comparing the results of different climate models. This intercomparison helps researchers identify the strengths and weaknesses of various models, assess the range of possible future climate outcomes, and improve our understanding of the climate system's response to forcing. The project generates a vast dataset of model outputs, which are made publicly available to the scientific community.

CMIP6 is organized into a series of "Scenarios, Model Intercomparison Projects" (ScMs) and "DECK experiments" (Designated Experiments). The DECK experiments are a set of core simulations that all participating models are required to run, providing a baseline for comparison. The ScMs focus on specific research questions, such as the role of aerosols, ocean biogeochemistry, or extreme events. The results from CMIP6 are crucial for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports, providing the scientific basis for climate change projections and informing policy decisions.