GMD Geoscientific Model Development GMD 1991-9603 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/gmd-3-227-2010 Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): experimental design and boundary conditions (Experiment 1) Haywood A. M. 1 Dowsett H. J. 2 Otto-Bliesner B. 3 Chandler M. A. 4 5 Dolan A. M. 1 Hill D. J. 6 Lunt D. J. 7 8 Robinson M. M. 2 Rosenbloom N. 3 Salzmann U. 9 Sohl L. E. 4 5 School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK Eastern Geology and Paleoclimate Science Center, US Geological Survey, MS926A, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192, USA CCR, CGD/NCAR, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY, 10025, USA NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SS, UK British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, Cambs, CB3 0ET, UK School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK 26 03 2010 3 1 227 242 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/3/227/2010/gmd-3-227-2010.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/3/227/2010/gmd-3-227-2010.pdf

In 2008 the temporal focus of the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project was expanded to include a model intercomparison for the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.29–2.97 million years ago). This project is referred to as PlioMIP (Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project). Two experiments have been agreed upon and comprise phase 1 of PlioMIP. The first (Experiment 1) will be performed with atmosphere-only climate models. The second (Experiment 2) will utilise fully coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models. The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed model intercomparison project description which documents the experimental design in a more detailed way than has previously been done in the literature. Specifically, this paper describes the experimental design and boundary conditions that will be utilised for Experiment 1 of PlioMIP.

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