CAS-FGOALS Datasets for the Two Interglacial Epochs of the Holocene and the Last Interglacial in PMIP4

Abstract

AbstractTwo versions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model (CAS-FGOALS), version f3-L and g3, are used to simulate the two interglacial epochs of the mid-Holocene and the Last Interglacial in phase 4 of the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP4), which aims to study the impact of changes in orbital parameters on the Earth’s climate. Following the PMIP4 experimental protocols, four simulations for the mid-Holocene and two simulations for the Last Interglacial have been completed, and all the data, including monthly and daily outputs for the atmospheric, oceanic, land and sea-ice components, have been released on the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) node. These datasets contribute to PMIP4 and CMIP6 (phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project) by providing the variables necessary for the two interglacial periods. In this paper, the basic information of the CAS-FGOALS models and the protocols for the two interglacials are briefly described, and the datasets are validated using proxy records. Results suggest that the CAS-FGOALS models capture the large-scale changes in the climate system in response to changes in solar insolation during the interglacial epochs, including warming in mid-to-high latitudes, changes in the hydrological cycle, the seasonal variation in the extent of sea ice, and the damping of interannual variabilities in the tropical Pacific. Meanwhile, disagreements within and between the models and the proxy data are also presented. These datasets will help the modeling and the proxy data communities with a better understanding of model performance and biases in paleoclimate simulations.