This catalogue entry provides daily/monthly/seasonal Regional Climate Model (RCM) data on single levels from a number of experiments, models, members and time periods computed in the framework of the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). The term "single levels" is used to express that the variables are computed at one vertical level which can be surface (or a level close to the surface) or a dedicated pressure level in the atmosphere. Multiple vertical levels are excluded from this catalogue entry.
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In addition, for each RCM, there is a variety of GCMs, which can be used as lateral boundary conditions. The GCMs used are coming from the CMIP5 (5th phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project) archive. These GCM boundary conditions are labelled as “Global Climate Model” in the form. Note that CMIP5 datasets are also available in the CDS.
Additionally, the uncertainty related to internal variability is sampled by several members of a few RCM-GCM combinations. Each member of the ensemble is named after a triad of integers associated to the letters r (as realization), i (as initialization) and p (as physics representing parameter settings in the models). These three letters cover variations in initial conditions as well as in the physical parameters of the models. The associated numbers are typically assigned sequentially. For instance, the member "r1i1p1" and the member "r2i1p1" being two realizations for the same model and experiment indicate that the corresponding simulations differ only in which GCM realization that has been downscaled. Different GCM realizations, in turn, differ only in definition of the initial conditions applied as being representative of the pre-industrial time, i.e. typically 1850. More details behind these sequential ensemble numbers will be available in the detailed documentation.
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