CMIP Phase 7 (CMIP7)

CMIP is continuing to evolve into a more continuous approach with small targeted “fast track” experiment sets, in addition to the DECK and the growing number of Community MIPs. The CMIP fast tracks are designed as a compact set of experiments including the DECK and selected experiments from Community MIPs that will support specific needs. The first fast track, “Assessment Fast Track” will respond to the needs of national and international climate assessment including the IPCC AR7. CMIP infrastructure, standards and tools will continue to support ongoing science and assessment activities. This design reflects extensive feedback from the modelling centres and wider user community.

CMIP7 Research Questions

The CMIP Panel have collated four Fundamental Research Questions motivating Coupled Model intercomparison, which the data from CMIP7 will help to address substantially. Full descriptions of the science questions can be found in the CMIP7 Overview Paper (Dunne et al., 2025).

1. Patterns of sea surface change: How will tropical ocean temperature patterns co-evolve with those at higher latitudes?
2. Changing weather: How will dangerous weather patterns evolve?
3. Water-carbon-climate nexus: How will Earth respond to human efforts to manage the carbon cycle?
4. Tipping Points: What are the risks of triggering irreversible changes across possible climate trajectories?

The DECK

As in CMIP6, running the Diagnostic, Evaluation and Characterization of Klima (DECK) will remain the “entry card” for CMIP, including the Assessment Fast Track. Community feedback on potential changes to the DECK have been received by the Panel. At their meeting in March 2024, the WGCM endorsed the CMIP Panel recommendation to include the following experiments in the DECK, in addition to amip, abrupt4xCO2, piControl (and esm-piControl for ESMs), and 1pctCO2: 

• historical
• esm-hist (for ESMs only) 
• piClim-control 
• piClim-anthro 
• piClim-4xCO2 

The CMIP Panel confirmed their decision to ensure emissions-driven experiments are well proven and tested before inclusion as an ESM-DECK, and to consider proposals for inclusion of LMIP and OMIP in the DECK, in the future.

The Community MIPs

• 35 MIPs have registered and can be found on the CMIP website.
• The CMIP Panel will not be endorsing MIPs but have provided best practice guidance.
• Requests for Panel feedback and support from the CMIP IPO can be submitted through the registration form.
• The Panel wants to encourage MIPs to not re-run CMIP6 experiments with new models, and to collaborate across MIPs to identify and reduce any potential duplication, and with consideration of their carbon footprint.
• If MIPs have information/news they would like to share with CMIP community, then email the CMIP IPO.

CMIP7 Assessment Fast Track (CMIP7 AFT)

CMIP7 Key Publications

Below are a number of key publications outlining the scientific and technical design of CMIP7. There are also two special issues (‘CMIP7 scientific objectives, experimental design, and organization‘ and ‘Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 7 (CMIP7) forcings and inputs – development, documentation, and evaluation‘) which feature additional papers on MIPs and forcing datasets.

CMIP experimental design:

• An evolving Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 7 (CMIP7) and Fast Track in support of future climate assessment (Dunne et al., 2025)

The Rapid Evaluation Framework (REF), model evaluation, and benchmarking

• Rapid Evaluation Framework for the CMIP7 Assessment Fast Track (Hoffman et al., 2025)
• Systematic Benchmarking of Climate Models: Methodologies, Applications, and New Directions (Hassler et al., 2025)

Forcings

• Earth System Forcing for CMIP7 and Beyond (Durack et al., 2025)
• Climate models need more frequent releases of input data — here’s how to do it (Naik et al., 2025)

CMIP Infrastructure and Data Request

• Baseline Climate Variables for Earth System Modelling (Juckes et al., 2025)
• The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP): Reviewing project history, evolution, infrastructure and implementation (Durack et al., 2025)
• CMIP7 Data Request: Atmosphere Priorities and Opportunities (Dingley et al., 2025)
• CMIP7 Data Request: Earth System Priorities and Opportunities (McPartland et al., 2025)
• CMIP7 Data Request: Impacts and Adaptation Priorities and Opportunities (Ruane et al., 2025)
• CMIP7 Data Request: Land and Land Ice Priorities and Opportunities (Li et al., 2025)
• CMIP7 Data Request: Ocean and Sea Ice Priorities and Opportunities (Fox-Kemper et al., 2025)

Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions have been raised during events or via our Question Submission form. If you have a question, please submit it by clicking the button below. If you notice that an answer is out of date, please contact the CMIP IPO.

We continue to welcome all feedback from across the community. To stay up to date with the latest developments, please bookmark this page and join our mailing lists here to hear about the latest news and events.