This catalogue entry provides daily climate projections on single levels from a large number of experiments, models, members and time periods computed in the framework of the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). 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.

CMIP5 data are used extensively in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports (the latest one is IPCC AR5, which was published in 2014). The use of these data is mostly aimed at:

• addressing outstanding scientific questions that arose as part of the IPCC reporting process;
• improving the understanding of the climate system;
• providing estimates of future climate change and related uncertainties;
• providing input data for the adaptation to the climate change;
• examining climate predictability and exploring the ability of models to predict climate on decadal time scales;
• evaluating how realistic the different models are in simulating the recent past.

The term "experiments" refers to the three main categories of CMIP5 simulations:

• Historical experiments which cover the period where modern climate observations exist. These experiments show how the GCMs performs for the past climate and can be used as a reference period for comparison with scenario runs for the future. The period covered is typically 1850-2005.;
• Ensemble of experiments from the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP), which prescribes the oceanic variables for all models and during all period of the experiment. This configuration removes the added complexity of ocean-atmosphere feedbacks in the climate system. The period covered is typically 1950-2005.
• Ensemble of climate projection experiments following the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5. The RCP scenarios provide different pathways of the future climate forcing. The period covered is typically, 2006-2100 some extended RCP experimental data is available from 2100-2300.

In CMIP5, the same experiments were run using different GCMs. In addition, for each model, the same experiment was repeatedly done using slightly different conditions (like initial conditions or different physical parameterisations for instance) producing in that way an ensemble of experiments closely related. Note that CMIP5 GCM data can be also used as lateral boundary conditions for Regional Climate Models (RCMs). RCMs are also available in the CDS (see CORDEX datasets). 

The data are produced by the participating institutes of the CMIP5 project. The latest CMIP GCM experiments will form the CMIP6 dataset, which will be published in the CDS in a later stage. 

More details about the product are given in the Documentation section.