1. Registration for cross-sectoral workshop now open
The cross-sectoral workshop is planned for 2-5 March, 2015 at IIASA in Laxenburg (near Vienna), Austria. We warmly invite all ISI-MIP2 participants to join us in Laxenburg to discuss first analyses of the historical simulations, work together on paper ideas, both in sector-specific and cross-sectoral groups, discuss future plans for ISI-MIP, and of course to enjoy each other's company. In order to assist us with planning, it would be greatly appreciated if you register here as soon as possible, and by 19 November, 2014 at the latest. A preliminary program for the workshop is also available on the workshop registration page. There is no workshop participation fee.
2. European Geophysical Union session
We would like to make you aware of a session at the 2015 EGU General Assembly in April in Vienna, which is particularly relevant for ISI-MIP Fast Track participants. The session's title is Climate impacts at different levels of warming. Dealing with uncertainty in multi-model intercomparisons. Abstract submissions close on 7 January, 2015 and we encourage you to make potentially interested colleagues aware of this opportunity.
3. CMIP6 survey - requested climate input variables
A while ago we forwarded on to you a survey aimed at gathering input from the climate impacts modelling community for the next round of climate-modelling simulations (CMIP6). We would like to provide a collective response in relation to the climate impact variables required by impact models participating in ISI-MIP. For this reason, could you please let us know which climate variables are required (in the ideal case) by your model that are not already provided in the ISI-MIP climate input data set. For your reference, the CMIP variables already supplied within ISI-MIP at daily resolution are:
daily mean temperature
daily maximum temperature
daily minimum temperature
total precipitation
snowfall
surface air pressure
relative humidity
long wave downwelling radiation
short wave downwelling radiation
near-surface wind magnitude
eastward near-surface wind
northward near-surface wind
4. Climate input data WATCH+WFDEI
As mentioned in the protocol, the combination of the WATCH and WFDEI dataset (in order to obtain a continuous data set from 1901 to 2012) produces a potential jump, particulary in variability, at the interface (1979), which may render the resulting impacts simulations difficult to use. For this reason this combined data set was listed as the 4th priority.
(A paper is now available describing the methodology behind the WFDEI dataset. For citation purposes, here is the reference: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014WR015638/abstract)
The 1st priority observational input data set is the Princeton data set, which offers an uninterrupted climate from 1901-2012. We hope that all modellers will run the Princeton data set at the very least. It is also desirable that the other observational data sets are used, with the preferred order given in the protocol. Further comments on the properties of the data sets are available in the protocol.
5. Email list
A reminder to take a look at the participants' list sent around last week to ensure that details are correct and that no-one is missing.
6. Spin-up data now available
As mentioned in the protocol, climate data will also be provided for models requiring longer than available directly from the observational data sets, i.e. longer than 70 years. We have now provided a script, available via github, that allows you to generate a spin-up data set for up to 2000 years. All you need to do is enter the required length when you are prompted whilst running the script. Providing you with this script, rather than the data sets themselves, will avoid unnecessarily large amounts of data traffic.
The script, including a static list of random years, can be downloaded here https://github.com/ISI-MIP/random_detrend/archive/master.zip .
If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to contact us.
7. Land-use data for 1700-2012 available
Land-use data for the full period 1700-2012 is now available on the DKRZ server at /gpfs_750/projects/ISI_MIP/data/ISIMIP2/Input_Other/MIRCA.HYDE . As noted in the protocol, this file includes constant land use at year-2005 level during the period 2000-2012.
8. Reminder: Emails are archived online
All project-wide emails are archived on the website and can be accessed at any time.
