CESM-HR-RCP2.6 Ensembles: Community Earth System Model High-Resolution (CESM-HR) RCP2.6 Sea Surface Height Simulation (global, daily) for the 2006-2100 period.

Rationale and Objective: This dataset contains 2D numerical model output of global sea surface height (SSH) under RCP2.6 low emission scenario. The primary objective was to improve the prediction and projection of regional and local sea-level changes using a global eddy resolving (~10 km) model. By accurately resolving complex coastlines, bathymetry, and regional ocean circulation- such as the Loop Current and its associated eddies in the Gulf of America- this model offers significantly higher precision than standard coarse-resolution (~100km) CMIP-class models. Furthermore, the availability of a companion high-resolution RCP8.5 (UID H5.x992.000:0007), RCP6.0 (UID H5.x992.000:0008) and RCP4.5 simulations enable a direct comparison of sea-level responses across different radiative forcing pathways. Methods and Model Description: Data were produced using a ~10 km version of the Community Earth System Model (CESM-HR) with 62 vertical levels following the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) protocol. Model is initialized in 2006 from a CESM-HR historical simulation (see Chang et al., (2020) for details) and forced with Representative concentration Pathway 2.6 (RCP2.6) forcings. There are 10 RCP2.6 ensembles, each initialized from corresponding historical ensembles. Time Period and Spatial Extend: The simulation covers the period 2006-2100 and the data is available for the global domain. Dataset Contents: The dataset consists of daily averaged SSH (cm) data on the global grid (3600x2400 points) in muti-year (~10 years) NetCDF files. The file also contains the model grid variables (latitude, longitude, mask, depth and area). The SSH data files can be identified with filename string “*pop.h.nday1.SSH.*”.