Update and best wishes

As the year comes to a close, we’d like to thank you for your invaluable contributions to ISIMIP in 2016. Whether conducting model runs, contributing to the development of the protocol and input data sets, participating in the workshop, analysing ISIMIP simulations, or supporting the organisation of ISIMIP, ISIMIP lives and breathes from your efforts. With this email we’d like to update you on progress in ISIMIP2b, and to simply wish you a safe and happy holiday, and a refreshed start to 2017.

Input data for ISIMIP2b

The first release of the ISIMIP2b input-data catalogue has now been published, allowing group 1 & group 2 simulations to begin. The first release includes daily, bias-corrected climate data for 3 GCMs for the pre-industrial, historical and future (RCP2.6 & RCP6.0) periods, as well as land-use, nitrogen deposition, fertiliser-use, population & GDP, reservoirs & dams, and river-routing data for the historical period. In addition there are new 3-hourly pressure and wind fields from the same GCMs for the historical and future periods (RCP2.6 and RCP6.0). These data are not bias corrected but provided for coastal flood projections. You can keep up to date with newly-available data by checking the www.isimip.org website regularly or following ISIMIP on twitter.

In early 2017 we expect to release ocean, future crop-specific land-use, fishing-intensity, sea-level rise and water-abstraction data, making the Group 3 simulations possible.

Your ISIMIP2b simulations

The IPCC-SR1.5 deadline for the first set of ISIMIP2b simulations was originally set for 31 December, 2016. Understandably, many of you will not be able to meet this deadline. We would nevertheless ask you to:

• Register your intention to submit ISIMIP2b simulations by entering your model’s details here. At the same link you will find details of how your simulation data will be handled, and the conditions under which your data can be used for publication.

• Let us know if you will not be able to submit a first set of ISIMIP2b simulations by the end of January, 2017, covering group 1 & group 2 (the pink & grey boxes in the simulation scenario tables of the protocol) simulations for the highest-priority GCM, IPSL-CM5A-LR, only.

• Get in touch if we can assist in any way with computer resources, e.g. by conducting further pre-processing on the input data, including reformatting, or by offering use of the super computer at PIK to run your simulations.

Please be aware that the tight timeline for ISIMIP2b simulations is designed to allow enough time for papers to be written and accepted by the IPCC 1.5°C Special Report deadline. However, even if your simulations come at a later date, they will still be very useful, in particular with respect to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. The repository will stay open for additional simulations even beyond the release of the IPCC-SR1.5.

Efforts to generate funding

We are continuing to work on creating funding opportunities for modelling activities associated with ISIMIP. For European modelling groups, the JPI ERA4CS Climate Services Call provided an opportunity to apply for funding for ISIMIP activities. Some 7 proposals included plans to perform ISIMIP simulations and we are very much looking forward to the results.

A new call has recently been announced by the European Commission (part of the H2020 program) on cross-sector impact assessments, which could also be relevant for non-european modelling groups. At this stage, national funding agencies, from European and international countries (members of the Belmont Forum), need to register their interest in contributing to the research funding. To show the national funding agencies that this is important and relevant, sending a quick email to the relevant body for your country could be very helpful. Something like: “I have seen this brilliant Call topic. We are very interested to work on this in an international consortium. I wanted to ask if [MY_Country] is intending to participate.“ If you need more guidance on this, please do get in touch.