In the CMIP6 Community Survey and subsequent feedback from the community the issue of documentation has been regularly raised. Modelling centres/groups felt the model documentation requirements were too time consuming and there was insufficient resource to support it, resulting in low completion levels. However, for users this information is important, and they report having to directly contact modelling centres/groups, which is particularly challenging for downstream users who are increasingly seeking to utilise CMIP data.
Therefore the Model Documentation Task Team have developed the Essential Model Documentation (EMD), which is a high-level description of a CMIP7 model. It is intended to contain information on model formulation that can be easily compared between different models, and allows model outputs to be better understood. It is not intended to contain all information about the models. More detailed model documentation than is provided by the EMD will either be available via ES-DOC documentation that is collated separately, or from the modelling group documentation references given as part of the EMD. EMD is only truly useful when it is universal resource, i.e. It has been provided for 100% of models. To ensure that this occurs, it has been agreed by the CMIP Panel, in consultation with the community, for its creation to be a mandatory requirement for CMIP7 participation. The publication of a CMIP7 model’s datasets to ESGF will not be possible unless EMD has been provided for that model.
The Model Documentation Task Team is now looking for feedback on details of the Essential Model Documentation (EMD) for CMIP7 – please read the document carefully and complete the survey form here by 23:59 UTC Friday 6 September 2024. We really appreciate your time in providing this vital feedback to ensure the EMD is fit for purpose.
