The CMIP6 Sea-Ice Model Intercomparison Project (SIMIP): understanding sea ice through climate-model simulations

Notz, Dirk; Jahn, Alexandra; Holland, Marika M.; Hunke, Elizabeth; Massonnet, François; Stroeve, Julienne; Tremblay, Bruno; Vancoppenolle, Martin

doi:10.5194/gmd-9-3427-2016

Cited by 94 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…This will complement the suite of standalone ISMIP6 ice-sheet experiments (Nowicki et al, 2016; http://www.climate-cryosphere.org/ activities/targeted/ismip6) for the recent past and future and will add to increase our understanding of the ice-sheet sensitivity to climate changes. The PMIP4-CMIP6 midHolocene and lig127k simulations, and associated sensitivity experiments, are also relevant to analyses of sea-ice feedbacks to climate in SIMIP (Notz et al, 2016) and to assessments of the role of dust forcing by AerChemMIP (Collins et al, 2017). Beyond CMIP6, the planned PMIP4-CMIP6 interglacial simulations are relevant to the Grand Challenges set by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Tier 1 lig127k experiment (Table 1) is designed to address the climate responses to stronger orbital forcing than the midHolocene experiment using the same state-of-the-art models and following a common experimental protocol. It will provide a basis to address the linkages between ice sheets and climate change in collaboration with the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP6 (ISMIP6) (Nowicki et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 2: Two interglacials, scientific objective and experimental design for Holocene and Last Interglacial simulations

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Two interglacial epochs are included in the suite of Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP4) simulations in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The experimental protocols for simulations of the mid-Holocene (midHolocene, 6000 years before present) and the Last Interglacial (lig127k, 127 000 years before present) are described here. These equilibrium simulations are designed to examine the impact of changes in orbital forcing at times when atmospheric greenhouse gas levels were similar to those of the preindustrial period and the continental configurations were almost identical to modern ones. These simulations test our understanding of the interplay between radiative forcing and atmospheric circulation, and the connections among large-scale and regional climate changes giving rise to phenomena such as land-sea contrast and highlatitude amplification in temperature changes, and responses of the monsoons, as compared to today. They also provide an opportunity, through carefully designed additional sensitivity experiments, to quantify the strength of atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and land-surface feedbacks. Sensitivity experiments are proposed to investigate the role of freshwater forcing in triggering abrupt climate changes within interglacial epochs. These feedback experiments naturally lead to a focus on climate evolution during interglacial periods, which will be examined through transient experiments. Analyses of the sensitivity simulations will also focus on interactions between extratropical and tropical circulation, and the relationship between changes in mean climate state and climate variability on annual to multi-decadal timescales. The comparative abundance of paleoenvironmental data and of quantitative climate reconstructions for the Holocene and Last Interglacial make these two epochs ideal candidates for systematic evaluation of model performance, and such comparisons will shed new light on the importance of external feedbacks (e.g., vegetation, dust) and the ability of state-of-the-art models to simulate climate changes realistically.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 2: Two interglacials, scientific objective and experimental design for Holocene and Last Interglacial simulations

et al. 2017

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“…A clear increase in Arctic sea ice drift speed has been detected since the 1950s using buoy observations and satellite measurements (Häkkinen et al, 2008;Rampal et al, 2009Rampal et al, , 2011Spreen et al, 2011;Vihma et al, 2012;Kwok et al, 2013;Olason and Notz, 2014). While increased wind speed seems to be the likely cause of the increase in sea ice motion before 1990, the reduced ice strength (most likely caused by reduced thickness and concentration) is the dominant driver since then (Döscher et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A summary of these studies related to drift speed trend and its cause as well as sea ice export at Fram Strait is provided in Table 1. Olason and Notz (2014) investigate the relationships between Arctic sea ice drift speed, concentration and thickness using satellite and buoy observations. They show that both seasonal and recent long-term changes in sea ice drift are primarily correlated to changes in sea ice concentration and thickness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationships between Arctic sea ice drift and strength modelled by NEMO-LIM3.6

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Sea ice cover and thickness have substantially decreased in the Arctic Ocean since the beginning of the satellite era. As a result, sea ice strength has been reduced, allowing more deformation and fracturing and leading to increased sea ice drift speed. We use the version 3.6 of the global ocean-sea ice NEMO-LIM model (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean coupled to the Louvain-laNeuve sea Ice Model), satellite, buoy and submarine observations, as well as reanalysis data over the period from 1979 to 2013 to study these relationships. Overall, the model agrees well with observations in terms of sea ice extent, concentration and thickness. The seasonal cycle of sea ice drift speed is reasonably well reproduced by the model. NEMO-LIM3.6 is able to capture the relationships between the seasonal cycles of sea ice drift speed, concentration and thickness, with higher drift speed for both lower concentration and lower thickness, in agreement with observations. Model experiments are carried out to test the sensitivity of Arctic sea ice drift speed, thickness and concentration to changes in sea ice strength parameter P * . These show that higher values of P * generally lead to lower sea ice deformation and lower sea ice thickness, and that no single value of P * is the best option for reproducing the observed drift speed and thickness. The methodology proposed in this analysis provides a benchmark for a further model intercomparison related to the relationships between sea ice drift speed and strength, which is especially relevant in the context of the upcoming Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6).

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Assessment of Antarctic sea ice area and concentration in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 and Phase 6 models

Casagrande

Stachelski

Souza

2023

Intl Journal of Climatology

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Sea ice is an important and complex component of the Earth system and is considered a sensitive indicator of climate change. The seasonal sea ice cycle regulates the exchange of heat and salinity, altering the energy balance between high and low latitudes as well as the ocean and atmospheric circulation. The accurate representation of Antarctic sea ice has been considered a hot topic in the climate modelling community and lacks conclusive answers. In this paper, we evaluated the ability of 11 climate models from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) and Phase 6 (CMIP6) to simulate the sea ice seasonal cycle in Antarctica in terms of area (SIA) and concentration (SIC), as well as the improvements in the most recent models' version, submitted to CMIP6. The results indicated that all models are able to accurately capture the seasonal cycle of the Antarctic SIA, with the minimum (maximum) occurring in February (September). In the Weddell Sea, Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, and the Ross Sea, the simulated sea ice concentration revealed a large and systematic bias in February when compared to observations. In September, a large and systematic bias was found nearby the Southern Ocean's northern limit in the Polar Front. Several CMIP6 models exhibited slight improvements on the SIA and SIC estimate over the previous version (CMIP5). All models indicated a significant sea ice loss in the coming years as a response to CO2 forcing. Despite the advancements in the sea ice representation, our findings show that the models are still unable to accurately represent the regional sea ice changes

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The CMIP6 Sea-Ice Model Intercomparison Project (SIMIP): understanding sea ice through climate-model simulations

Cited by 94 publications

References 34 publications

The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 2: Two interglacials, scientific objective and experimental design for Holocene and Last Interglacial simulations

The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 2: Two interglacials, scientific objective and experimental design for Holocene and Last Interglacial simulations

Relationships between Arctic sea ice drift and strength modelled by NEMO-LIM3.6

Assessment of Antarctic sea ice area and concentration in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 and Phase 6 models

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