These datasets contain the 21st century atmospheric and oceanic forcing datasets used for Greenland and Antarctic standalone ice sheet model simulations as part of the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP6 (ISMIP6). ISMIP6 is a targeted activity of the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project of the World Climate Research Project (WCRP) and has been formally endorsed by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6; Eyring et al., 2016).
The datasets were prepared using CMIP5 and CMIP6 models listed in the table below (see also Table 1, Nowicki et al. 2020). The CMIP5 models were selected independently for the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets (Barthel et al., 2020), using atmospheric and oceanic metrics appropriate for each ice sheet. As CMIP6 models started to become available in late spring–summer 2019, ISMIP6 selected four CMIP6 models based solely on their availability. The ISMIP6 forcing datasets are presented in Nowicki et al. (2020). For more information on how the oceanic dataset were prepared, please see Slater et al. (2019; 2020) for Greenland and Jourdain et al. (2020) for Antarctica.
Downloading Data
The data can be downloaded from the Globus GHub-ISMIP6-Forcing endpoint. Please log in and click on the Download tab to receive the Download instructions.
Acknowledgements
The experimental protocol and datasets for the ISMIP6-Projections-Antarctica and ISMIP6-Projections-Greenland standalone ice sheet simulations would not have been possible without the effort of many scientists that have given their time and expertise, and have run models to convert the CMIP5 and CMIP6 models output into datasets that standalone ice sheet models can use. ISMIP6 would like to thank the ocean focus group under the leadership of Fiamma Straneo, the atmospheric focus group under the leadership of Bill Lipscomb and Robin Smith, and the CMIP5 model evaluation focus group under the leadership of Alice Barthel. Xylar Asay-Davis, Nicolas Jourdain, Tore Hattermann, Chris Little, Helene Seroussi have been instrumental in the development of the Antarctic ice shelf basal melt rate parameterization and associated datasets. Erika Simon, Richard Cullather and Sophie Nowicki prepared the Antarctic atmospheric dataset. Luke Trusel and Helene Seroussi prepared the Antarctic ice shelf fracture dataset. Xavier Fettweis, Heiko Goelzer and Patrick Alexander prepared the Greenland atmospheric dataset using the MAR regional climate model. Donald Slater, Denis Felikson and Mathieu Morlighem prepared the Greenland oceanic forcing. Alice Barthel, Chris Little, Cecile Agosta, Nicolas Jourdain, and Tore Hattermann provided a rigorous analysis of the CMIP5 models against historical data, which allowed the CMIP5 model evaluation group and the ISMIP6 steering committee to select the CMIP5 models used in this effort. Finally, we thank the ISMIP6 ice sheet modelers for their feedback on the design of the protocol and their willingness to participate in ISMIP6.
Terms of use and citation requirements
To enable modeling groups and others who support CMIP6 and ISMIP6 to demonstrate its impact (and secure ongoing funding), you are required to cite and acknowledge those who have made CMIP6 and ISMIP6 possible. Please read and adhere to the CMIP6 and ISMIP6 Terms of Use.
Credits
We thank the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) effort, which provided support for ISMIP6 through sponsoring of workshops, hosting the ISMIP6 website and wiki, and promoted ISMIP6. We acknowledge the World Climate Research Programme, which, through its Working Group on Coupled Modelling, coordinated and promoted CMIP5 and CMIP6. We thank the climate modeling groups for producing and making available their model output, the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) for archiving the CMIP data and providing access, the University at Buffalo for ISMIP6 data distribution and upload, and the multiple funding agencies who support individual ice sheet modelers, CMIP5 and CMIP6 and ESGF. We thank the ISMIP6 steering committee, the ISMIP6 model selection group and ISMIP6 dataset preparation group for their continuous engagement in defining ISMIP6.
References
Barthel, C. Agosta, C. Little, T. Hattermann, N. Jourdain, H. Goelzer, S. Nowicki, H. Seroussi, F. Straneo, and T. Bracegirdle, 2020. CMIP5 model selection for ISMIP6 ice sheet model forcing: Greenland and Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 14, 855–879, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-855-2020.
Eyring, V., Bony, S., Meehl, G. A., Senior, C. A., Stevens, B., Stouffer, R. J., and Taylor, K. E., 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.
Jourdain, N., X. Asay-Davis, T. Hattermann, F. Straneo, H. Seroussi, C. Little, and S. Nowicki, 2020. A protocol for calculating basal melt rates in the ISMIP6 Antarctic ice sheet projections, 14, 3111-3134, The Cryosphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3111-2020.
Nowicki, S., A. Payne, E. Larour, H. Seroussi, H. Goelzer, W. Lipscomb, J. Gregory, A. Abe Ouchi, and A. Shepherd, 2016. Ice sheet modeling intercomparison project (ISMIP6) contribution to CMIP6. Geoscientific Model Development, 9, 4521-4545, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-4521-2016.
Slater, D. A., Straneo, F., Felikson, D., Little, C. M., Goelzer, H., Fettweis, X., and Holte, J., 2019. Estimating Greenland tidewater glacier retreat driven by submarine melting, The Cryosphere, 13, 2489–2509, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2489-2019.
Slater, D., D. Felikson, F. Straneo, H. Goelzer, C. Little, M. Morlighem, X. Fettweis and S. Nowicki, 2020. Twenty-first century ocean forcing of the Greenland ice sheet for modelling of sea level contribution, The Cryosphere, 14, 985–1008, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-985-2020.
Publications
Nowicki, S. H. Goelzer, H. Seroussi, A. Payne, W., Lipscomb, A., Abe-Ouchi, C. Agosta, P. Alexander, X. Asay-Davis, A. Barthel, T. Bracegirdle, R. Cullather, D. Felikson, X. Fettweis, J. Gregory, T. Hattermann, N. Jourdain, P. Kuipers Munneke, E. Larour, C. Little, M. Morlighem, I. Nias, A. Shepherd, E. Simon, D. Slater, R. Smith, F. Straneo, L. Trusel, M. van den Broeke, and R. van de Wal, R., 2020. Experimental protocol for sea level projections from ISMIP6 stand-alone ice sheet models, The Cryosphere, 14, 2331–2368, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2331-2020.