Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project
Encyclopedia
Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) is a standard experiment
al protocol for global atmospheric
general circulation models (AGCMs). It provides a community
-based infrastructure in support of climate
model diagnosis, validation, intercomparison, documentation
and data
access. Virtually the entire international climate modeling community has participated in this project since its inception in 1990.
AMIP is endorsed by the Working Group
on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) of the World Climate Research Programme
, and is managed by the PCMDI with the guidance of the WGNE AMIP Panel.
The AMIP experiment itself is simple by design; an AGCM is constrained by realistic sea surface temperature
and sea ice
from 1979 to near present, with a comprehensive set of fields saved for diagnostic research.
This model configuration removes the added complexity of ocean
-atmosphere feedbacks in the climate system. It is not meant to be used for climate change
prediction, an endeavor that requires a coupled atmosphere-ocean model (e.g., see AMIP's sister project CMIP
).
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
al protocol for global atmospheric
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
general circulation models (AGCMs). It provides a community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
-based infrastructure in support of climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
model diagnosis, validation, intercomparison, documentation
Documentation
Documentation is a term used in several different ways. Generally, documentation refers to the process of providing evidence.Modules of Documentation are Helpful...
and data
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
access. Virtually the entire international climate modeling community has participated in this project since its inception in 1990.
AMIP is endorsed by the Working Group
Working group
A working group is an interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers working on new research activities that would be difficult to develop under traditional funding mechanisms . The lifespan of the WG can last anywhere between a few months and several years...
on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) of the World Climate Research Programme
World Climate Research Programme
The World Climate Research Programme was established in 1980, under the joint sponsorship of International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization, and has also been sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO since 1993. It is a component of the...
, and is managed by the PCMDI with the guidance of the WGNE AMIP Panel.
The AMIP experiment itself is simple by design; an AGCM is constrained by realistic sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
and sea ice
Sea ice
Sea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
from 1979 to near present, with a comprehensive set of fields saved for diagnostic research.
This model configuration removes the added complexity of ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
-atmosphere feedbacks in the climate system. It is not meant to be used for climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
prediction, an endeavor that requires a coupled atmosphere-ocean model (e.g., see AMIP's sister project CMIP
Coupled model intercomparison project
In climatology, the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project is the analog of AMIP for global coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models. CMIP began in 1995 under the auspices of the Working Group on Coupled Modeling , which is in turn under auspices of CLIVAR and the Joint Scientific...
).