BCC-ESM1 Model Datasets for the CMIP6 Aerosol Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP)

Abstract

BCC-ESM1 is the first version of the Beijing Climate Center’s Earth System Model, and is participating in phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The Aerosol Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP) is the only CMIP6-endorsed MIP in which BCC-ESM1 is involved. All AerChemMIP experiments in priority 1 and seven experiments in priorities 2 and 3 have been conducted. The DECK (Diagnostic, Evaluation and Characterization of Klima) and CMIP historical simulations have also been run as the entry card of CMIP6. The AerChemMIP outputs from BCC-ESM1 have been widely used in recent atmospheric chemistry studies. To facilitate the use of the BCC-ESM1 datasets, this study describes the experiment settings and summarizes the model outputs in detail. Preliminary evaluations of BCC-ESM1 are also presented, revealing that: the climate sensitivities of BCC-ESM1 are well within the likely ranges suggested by IPCC AR5; the spatial structures of annual mean surface air temperature and precipitation can be reasonably captured, despite some common precipitation biases as in CMIP5 and CMIP6 models; a spurious cooling bias from the 1960s to 1990s is evident in BCC-ESM1, as in most other ESMs; and the mean states of surface sulfate concentrations can also be reasonably reproduced, as well as their temporal evolution at regional scales. These datasets have been archived on the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) node for atmospheric chemistry studies.