Global Observational Data Sets for Model Intercomparison Projects (Obs4MIPs)

Obs4MIPS (Observations for Model Intercomparisons) makes observational products more accessible for climate model intercomparisons. A wide variety of observationally-based data sets are used for climate model evaluation. Obs4MIPs provides a limited collection of well-established and documented data sets that have been organized according to the 5th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) model output requirements and available on the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). Each Obs4MIPs data set corresponds to a field that is output in one or more of the CMIP5 experiments. This technical alignment of observational products with climate model output can greatly facilitate model data comparisons. Guidelines have been developed for Obs4MIPs product documentation that is of particular relevance for model evaluation. Products currently available via Obs4MIPs are: (1) observational data sets directly comparable to model output field(s) defined as part of CMIP5; (2) open to contributions from all data producers that meet the Obs4MIPs requirements; (3) well documented, with traceability to track product version changes; and (4) served through ESGF. The products include satellite, reanalysis, and in-situ observations. The data sets are 1 x 1 degree Lat-Lon monthly averages, with global coverage, unless otherwise noted. The temperature, specific humidity, and ozone data sets are also vertically stratified at the CMIP5 required pressure levels. Obs4MIPs also provides documentation that describes aspects of the observational data (e.g., data origin, instrument overview, uncertainty estimates) that are of particular relevance to scientists involved in climate model evaluation and analysis. References: Gleckler, P., R. Ferraro, and D. Waliser (2011), Improving use of satellite data in evaluating climate models, Eos Trans. AGU, 92(20), http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2011. Teixeira, J., D. Waliser, R. Ferraro, P. Gleckler, T. Lee and G. Potter, 2014: Satellite Observations for CMIP5: The Genesis of Obs4MIPs. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., early online release http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00204.1