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After debating a number of people online who constantly claim that either the datasets or the climate model software isn’t available for download, I have decided to put together a comprehensive list of where you can download datasets and software. I know that in many ways this is a futile effort. Getting the data and models up and running isn’t a trivial task. In fact like a lot of scientific software it requires a degree of knowledge. After I sold I my company I spent 18 months looking at the issues, models and data. I am at best an educated amateur.

In any case here are the datasets and climate models.

• Climate data (raw)
• Climate data (processed)
• Paleo-data
• Paleo Reconstructions (including code)
• Large-scale model (Reanalysis) output
• Large-scale model (GCM) output
• Model codes (GCMs)
• Model codes (other)
• Data Visualisation and Analysis
• Master Repositories of climate and other Earth Science data

Climate data (raw)

• GHCN v.2 (Global Historical Climate Network: weather station records from around the world, temperature and precipitation)
• USHCN US. Historical Climate Network (v.1 and v.2)
• World Monthly Surface Station Climatology UCAR
• Antarctic weather stations
• European weather stations (ECA)
• Italian Meterological Society IMS
• Satellite feeds (AMSU, SORCE (Solar irradiance), NASA A-train, Ocean Color)
• Tide Gauges (Proudman Oceanographic Lab)
• World Glacier Monitoring Service
• Argo float data
• International Comprehensive Ocean/Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) (Oceanic in situ observations)
• AERONET Aerosol information
• Arctic data from the Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service (CADIS)

Climate data (processed)

• Surface temperature anomalies (GISTEMP (see also Clear Climate Code), HadCRU (alternate site), NOAA NCDC, JMA, BEST)
• Satellite temperatures (MSU) (UAH, RSS, Zou et al)
• Sea surface temperatures (Reynolds et al, OI)
• Stratospheric temperature
• Sea ice (Cryosphere Today, NSIDC, JAXA, Bremen, Arctic-Roos, DMI)
• Radiosondes (RAOBCORE, HadAT, U. Wyoming, RATPAC, IUK, Sterin (CDIAC), Angell (CDIAC) )
• Cloud and radiation products (ISCCP, CERES-ERBE)
• Sea level (U. Colorado, NOAA)
• Aerosols (AEROCOM, GACP)
• Greenhouse Gases (AGGI at NOAA, CO2 Mauna Loa, World Data Center for Greenhouse Gases, AIRS CO2 data (2003+))
• AHVRR data as used in Steig et al (2009)
• Snow Cover (Rutgers)
• GLIMS glacier database
• Ocean Heat Content (NODC)
• Ocean CO₂ (CDIAC)
• GCOS Essential Climate Variables Index
• NOAA Climate Indicators State of the Climate 2009

Paleo-data

• NOAA Paleoclimate
• Pangaea
• GRIP/NGRIP Ice cores (Denmark)
• GISP2 (note that the age model has been updated)
• National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)
• Insolation (i.e. Milankovitch cycles): Lasker (2004), Berger and Loutre (1991), Huybers (2006)

Paleo Reconstructions (including code)

• Reconstructions index and data (NOAA)
• Mann et al (2008) (also here, Mann et al (2009))
• Kaufmann et al (2009)
• Wahl and Ammann (2006)
• Mann et al (1998/1999)

Large-scale model (Reanalysis) output

These are weather models which have the real world observations assimilated into the solution to provide a ‘best guess’ of the evolution of weather over time (although pre-satellite era estimates (before 1979) are less accurate).

• ERA40 (1957-2001, from ECMWF)
• ERA-Interim (1989 – present, ECMWF’s latest project)
• NCEP (1948-present, NOAA), NCEP-2
• MERRA NASA GSFC
• JRA-25 (1979-2004, Japanese Met. Agency)
• North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR)
• 20th Century Reanalysis (1871-2008)

Large-scale model (GCM) output

These is output from the large scale global models used to assess climate change in the past, and make projections for the future. Some of this output is also available via the Data Visualisation tools linked below.

• CMIP3 output (~20 models, as used by IPCC AR4) at PCMDI
• GISS ModelE output (includes AR4 output as well as more specific experiments)
• GFDL Model output

Model codes (GCMs)

Downloadable codes for some of the GCMs.

• GISS ModelE (AR4 version, current snapshot)
• NCAR CCSM(Version 3.0, CCM3 (older vintage))
• EdGCM Windows based version of an older GISS model.
• Uni. Hamburg (SAM, PUMA and PLASIM)
• NEMO Ocean Model
• GFDL Models
• MIT GCM

Model codes (other)

This category include links to analysis tools, simpler models or models focussed on more specific issues.

• Radiative Transfer models (AER RRTM)
• Rahmstorf (2007) Sea Level Rise Code
• Vermeer & Rahmstorf (2009) Sea Level Rise Code and Data
• ModTran (atmospheric radiation calculations and visualisations)
• Various climate-related online models (David Archer)
• Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) (FUND, FAIR, DICE, RICE)
• CliMT a Python-based software component toolkit
• Pyclimate Python tools for climate analysis
• CDAT Tools for analysing climate data in netcdf format (PCMDI)
• RegEM (Tapio Schneider)
• Time series analysis (MTM-SVD, SSA-MTM toolkit, Mann and Lees (1996))
• MAGICC

Data Visualisation and Analysis

These sites include some of the above data (as well as other sources) in an easier to handle form.

• ClimateExplorer (KNMI)
• Dapper (PMEL, NOAA)
• Ingrid (IRI/LDEO Climate data library)
• Giovanni (GSFC)
• Wood for Trees: Interactive graphics (temperatures)
• IPCC Data Visualisations
• Regional IPCC model output
• Climate Wizard

Master Repositories of Climate Data

Much bigger indexes of data sources:

• Global Change Master Directory (GSFC)
• PAGES data portal
• NCDC (National Climate Data Center)
• IPCC Data
• Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Lab: Atmospheric trace gas concentrations, historical carbon emissions, and more
• CRU Data holdings
• Hadley Centre Observational holdings

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