HadCM3 climate model simulations provide time-varying forcing data for major and minor greenhouse gases. The dataset covers a 242-year period from 1859 to 2100, with post-1990 projections following the IPCC IS92a emissions scenario. It was produced by the Hadley Centre and contributed to the IPCC Third Assessment Report.
Use Cases
- Analyze the temporal evolution of radiative forcing from major greenhouse gases like CO2 and CH4 over 242 years.
- Validate other climate models by comparing simulated responses to the IPCC IS92a scenario forcing after 1990.
- Study the impact of minor greenhouse gases and interactive couplings, such as the sulphur cycle, on climate projections.
- Assess climate drift and model stability by examining flux adjustments between the 19-level atmosphere and 20-level ocean components.
Strengths
- 242-year temporal coverage from 1859 to 2100 provides long-term historical and projected data.
- Model includes improved representations of radiation, convection, and land surface processes like soil moisture freezing.
Limitations
- Dataset is a single model simulation (HadCM3), limiting ensemble-based uncertainty analysis.
- Projections after 1990 rely on the older IPCC IS92a scenario, not more recent Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs).
Provenance
- Source
- Hadley Centre (Met Office), via NASA EarthData platform.
- Collection Method
- Output from the Hadley Centre Coupled Model Version 3 (HadCM3) climate simulation.
- Time Range
- 1859 to 2100
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Global