MPI-ESM-1.2 output of LAMACLIMA work package 1 (WP1): idealized global land-use scenarios, including cropland expansion, re-/afforestation, irrigation, wood harvest, and reference control

Project: Output of fully coupled Earth system model simulations for LAMACLIMA research project: four idealized constant global land-use scenarios (WP1) and two contrasting policy-relevant future mitigation land-use scenarios (WP4). - The research project LAnd MAnagement for CLImate Mitigation and Adaptation (LAMACLIMA) enhances our understanding of coupled effects between climate and land cover and land management (LCLM). It assesses land-based adaptation and mitigation strategies aligned with the Paris Agreement Goal. It investigates how biogeophysical and biogeochemical impacts of LCLM changes affect global climate, ecosystem, and socio-economic sectors. Earth System simulations are conducted in two work packages using three Earth System Models (ESMs): MPI-ESM-1.2, CESM2, and EC-Earth3-Veg (v3.3.3.1).
Work package 1 (WP1) simulations consist of four idealized constant global land-use scenarios (cropland expansion (CROP), re-/afforestation (FRST), cropland expansion with irrigation (IRR), and re-/afforestation with wood harvest (HARV)) and one reference control simulation (CTL). Simulations branch off at the end of 2014 CMIP6 historical concentration-driven simulation and span 160 years, with anthropogenic and natural forcing held constant at 2014 levels.
Work package 4 (WP4) simulations consist one present-day reference control scenario (1980–2014, presCTL) as well as one future reference control scenario (futCTL) and two transient future policy-relevant land-use scenarios (2015-2100). The presCTL branches off from three CMIP6 historical emission-driven ensemble simulations at the end of 1979 by superimposed land-use change to the end of 2014 conditions within one year, producing three ensemble members per ESM. The futCTL continues from presCTL ensembles under the RCP1.9 scenario, with land use held constant at 2014 level. The two transient future land-use scenarios apply land-use change from Humpenöder et al. (2022), based on global inequality (INEQ) and global sustainability (SUST) assumptions also under RCP1.9.
Project website: https://climateanalytics.org/projects/lamaclima.
Summary: This dataset comprises MPI-ESM-1.2 output from WP1 scenarios of the LAMACLIMA project.
In LAMACLIMA, we analyzed the role of land use for global mitigation and local adaptation strategies and its impacts on local and remote climate and the carbon cycle across Earth system models (ESMs).
Work package 1 (WP1) simulations of LAMACLIMA project consist of land-use-induced climate and carbon change sensitivity experiments. The scenarios do not represent realistic or policy relevant realizations. Instead, they simulate globally idealized constant land-use changes under present-day environmental conditions. This approach offers two main advantages. First, large-scale land-use simulations enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, enabling a clearer evaluation of the upper bound of potential impacts, despite their idealized nature. Second, applying global rather than regionally constrained changes permits a more comprehensive and comparative assessment of land-use impacts worldwide. The WP1 simulations consist of the five scenarios (CTL, CROP, FRST, IRR, and HARV); for example, “MPI-ESM-1.2 output of LAMACLIMA work package 1 (WP1): idealized constant global re-/afforestation (FRST) under present-day environmental conditions”.

We use the MPI-ESM-1.2-LR climate model, which includes the following model components:
- Atmosphere model: ECHAM6.3 (Triangular truncation: T63, approx. 1.88°×1.88°, 200 km; 47 vertical levels)
- Land model: JSBACH3.2 (Triangular truncation: T63, approx. 1.88°×1.88°, 200 km)
- Ocean dynamical model: MPIOM1.6 (GR1.5, approx. 150 km; 40 vertical levels)
- Ocean biogeochemistry model: HAMOCC6
- Coupler: OASIS3-MCT
We ran the land model JSBACH3.2 with the following options:
- use_dynveg = false
- use_disturbance = true
- lcc_forcing_type = transitions
- lcc_scheme = 2
The MPI-ESM output from the different model components was post-processed using the Climate Model Output Rewriter (CMOR) in accordance with CMIP data conventions.
For further details, see:
Mauritsen et al., 2019: https://doi.org/10.1029/2018MS001400