Model Development and Evaluation

Climate models and other models of the Earth system are critical tools for modern climate science. These models are used for a variety of purposes, the most widely known being applications to numerical weather forecasting and future climate projection. Models are also central to the development of better reanalysis datasets. US CLIVAR is working to address model development and evaluation by fostering better communication and practices between the model development and observational communities. 

Climate Model Evaluation Project (CMEP)

The objective of CMEP is to increase community-wide diagnostic research into the quality of model simulations, leading to more robust evaluations of model predictions and a better quantification of uncertainty in projections of future climate. The results of this research will be used for the subsequent evaluations of the quality of US model climate projections, both global and regional, of the 21st century and beyond in the context of an international multi-model dataset.

Climate Process Teams (CPTs)

CPTs are small groups of observationalists, theoreticians, small-scale modelers, and scientists at modeling centers working closely together to improve parameterizations of a particular process in one or more IPCC-class models. These multi-institutional projects have been sponsored by NSF and NOAA through two proposal calls in 2003 and 2009. Following the completion of three initial pilot CPT projects, the US CLIVAR Process Study and Model Improvement (PSMI) Panel conducted a review to assess the efficacy of the approach, enumerate lessons learned, and inform agency consideration for a second round.