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| ISIMIP | |
|---|---|
| Name | ISIMIP |
| Caption | Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project |
| Established | 2010 |
| Founders | Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research |
| Headquarters | Potsdam |
ISIMIP
ISIMIP is a large-scale, coordinated model intercomparison initiative focused on quantifying impacts of climate change across sectors, regions, and models. It brings together researchers from institutions such as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Princeton University, Imperial College London, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research to produce cross-comparable projections that inform policy processes including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The project interfaces with initiatives like the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, the Global Change Assessment Model, and the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways community to standardize scenarios and data streams.
ISIMIP coordinates multi-model, multi-sector assessments linking climate models, hydrology models, crop models, vegetation models, and economic models to evaluate impacts on agriculture, water, health, energy, and ecosystems. Participating organizations include the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Columbia University, ETH Zurich, University of California, Berkeley, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It aligns scenario design with CMIP, RCPs, and SSP frameworks developed by groups such as the World Climate Research Programme, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, and the IPCC. The initiative connects to projects like the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project, the Hydrological Model Intercomparison Project, and the Urban Climate Change Research Network to synthesize cross-disciplinary insights.
ISIMIP emerged from collaborations among climate scientists at the Potsdam Institute, the University of Hamburg, and the Stockholm Environment Institute in response to demands from the European Commission, the Belmont Forum, and the United Nations Environment Programme for harmonized impact projections. Early workshops involved experts from NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Met Office Hadley Centre, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, and the Japan Agency for Marine‑Earth Science and Technology. Major milestones include integration with Phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project outputs, adoption of Representative Concentration Pathways endorsed by IPCC Working Group I, and cross-referencing with socioeconomic scenarios developed by the International Labor Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. ISIMIP’s governance evolved through steering committees with members from the European Space Agency, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.
ISIMIP prescribes standardized climate forcing data derived from climate models such as HadGEM, MPI-ESM, CESM, GFDL, and NorESM and applies bias-correction approaches used by groups like the Climate Impacts Research Centre. Scenario protocols rely on Representative Concentration Pathways and Shared Socioeconomic Pathways formulated by IIASA, IIED, and the UN Population Division, and integrate land-use inputs from the Land-Use Model Intercomparison Project. Emphasis is placed on reproducibility with tools and software from the R Project for Statistical Computing, Python libraries maintained by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, and workflows compatible with data infrastructures like the Earth System Grid Federation and the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Quality control draws on standards from the International Organization for Standardization and data citation practices encouraged by DataCite and the Research Data Alliance.
ISIMIP includes hydrological models (e.g., VIC, SWAT, HBV), crop models (e.g., DSSAT, LPJmL, EPIC), ecosystem models (e.g., LPJ-GUESS, ORCHIDEE), economic and integrated assessment models (e.g., DICE, FUND, PAGE), and health impact models from public health groups at Johns Hopkins University, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and the World Health Organization. Energy sector analyses connect to modeling frameworks used by the International Energy Agency and national laboratories such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Biodiversity and conservation assessments draw on outputs from the IUCN Red List, BirdLife International, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Urban and coastal impact studies engage models and institutions including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Dutch Delta Program, and the Asian Development Bank.
ISIMIP syntheses indicate robust signals across crops, water resources, and heat-related mortality, with results comparable to assessments by the IPCC, the Lancet Countdown, and the Global Burden of Disease study. Cross-model comparisons reveal hotspots of vulnerability in regions highlighted by the World Resources Institute, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme, and show how adaptation options evaluated in studies from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Green Climate Fund can alter projected damages. Findings have been cited in scientific journals including Nature, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Environmental Research Letters, and have informed major reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the European Environment Agency.
ISIMIP governance involves advisory boards and coordinators affiliated with institutions like the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and national academies such as the Royal Society and the National Academy of Sciences. Data stewardship follows FAIR principles promoted by the Research Data Alliance and metadata conventions used by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the World Data Center for Climate. Data distribution leverages infrastructures from the Earth System Grid Federation, PANGEA, and institutional repositories at universities including Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Oxford, while licensing considerations engage Creative Commons and institutional review boards from major research funders like the European Research Council and the National Science Foundation.
ISIMIP outputs support policy and practice at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund, national ministries of environment and agriculture, and regional bodies such as the African Union and the European Commission. Applications span adaptation planning used by USAID, the Asian Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank, to sectoral planning by the International Energy Agency and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Criticism has come from scholars associated with debates around uncertainty quantification raised by the Royal Society, transparency concerns echoed by the Union of Concerned Scientists, and issues of model bias and representativeness discussed in forums such as the American Geophysical Union and the European Geosciences Union. Ongoing dialogues include contributions from think tanks like the World Resources Institute, the Brookings Institution, and the Overseas Development Institute.
Category:Climate change assessment projects