Climate Change in Australia

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Data File Naming Convention

CMIP6 GRIDDED APPLICATION-READY DATA FILES

Files are placed within directories named using the following convention:

<observations>/<model>/<ssp>/<run>/<frequency>/<variable>/<grid>/<time period>/<version>/

Files within these directories are named using the following convention:

<variable>_<frequency>_<model>_<ssp>_<run>_<grid>_<year>_<method>_<observations>-baseline-<baseline>_model-baseline-<baseline>.nc

where,

<observations> describes the observational dataset used to create the application-ready data:

  1. AGCD = the Bureau of Meteorology AGCD ~5km-resolution observed dataset
  2. BARRA-R2 = the Bureau of Meteorology BARRA-R2 ~12km-resolution reanalysis dataset

<model> is the name of the global climate model. For example, ACCESS1-0. Application-ready data are available for nine CMIP6 global climate models:

  1. ACCESS-CM2
  2. ACCESS-ESM1.5
  3. CESM2
  4. CMCC-ESM2
  5. CNRM-ESM2-1
  6. EC-Earth3
  7. MPI-ESM1-2-HR
  8. NorESM2-MM
  9. UKESM1-0-LL

<ssp> is the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) and future trajectory of global greenhouse gas emissions to which the data relate (see the Greenhouse Gas Scenarios page for more detail):

  1. ssp126 = SSP1-2.6, under which there is an immediate reduction in emissions
  2. ssp245 = SSP2-4.5, under which emissions start to fall in the middle of the century
  3. ssp370 = SSP3-7.0, under which emissions continue to rise, to roughly double present levels by 2100
  4. ssp585 =SSP5-8.5, under which emissions rise rapidly, to roughly double present levels by 2050

<run> is a descriptor that indicates the run, initialisation and parameterisation and forcing versions of the simulation:

  1. r1i1p1f1 = run 1, initialisation 1, parameterisation 1, forcing 1

<frequency> is the frequency (time-step) of the dataset:

  1. day = daily

<variable> is the climate variable code:

  1. hurs = relative humidity at 2 m above the surface
  2. hursmax = maximum daily relative humidity at 2 m above the surface
  3. hursmin = minimum daily relative humidity at 2 m above the surface
  4. pr = precipitation at the surface
  5. rsds = solar radiation at the surface
  6. sfcWind = average wind speed at 10 m above the surface
  7. tasmax = maximum daily temperature at 2 m above the surface
  8. tasmin = minimum daily temperature at 2 m above the surface

<time period> is the range of years to which the future data relate. For application-ready data this describes the future 30-years covered by the synthetic data.

<version> is the version of the dataset, incorporating the creation date of the data in YYYYMMDD format (e.g., v20240701).

<grid> describes the type of grid on which the data are provided:

  1. AUS-05 = the ~5km resolution grid of the Bureau of Meteorology AGCD observed dataset

<year> is the year to which the data relate (each file contains one full year of data)

<method> describes the scaling method used to produce this specific dataset (see scaling methods for more detail)

  1. qdc-additive-monthly-q100-linear = Quantile Delta Change method using additive adjustment factors for 100 quantiles, with linear interpolation between monthly adjustment factors
  2. qdc-multiplicative-monthly-q100-linear = Quantile Delta Change method using multiplicative adjustment factors for 100 quantiles, with linear interpolation between monthly adjustment

<baseline> is the time period for the observational or model baseline

.nc is the file extension for NetCDF files.

NRM CMIP5 Gridded Change Data Files

Files are named using the following convention:

<variable>_<A/Omon/day>_<model>_<rcp>_<run>_<time period>_<change type>-<season aggregation method>_<grid>.nc

where,

<variable> is the climate variable code:

  1. hurs = relative humidity at 2 m above the surface
  2. pr = precipitation at the surface
  3. rsds = solar radiation at the surface
  4. sfcWind = average wind speed at 10 m above the surface
  5. tas = average daily temperature at 2 m above the surface
  6. tasmax = maximum daily temperature at 2 m above the surface
  7. tasmin = minimum daily temperature at 2 m above the surface

<A/Omon/day> is a descriptor indicating if the original source model data are for the atmosphere or ocean and at what time scale (monthly or daily)

  1. Amon = all ‘NRM’ change data downloadable from CCiA are derived from atmosphere models’ (A) monthly (mon) time scale outputs

<model> is the name of the global climate model. For example, CNRM-CM5

  1. Data from up to 47 models are available, depending on the emissions scenario of interest. See the full list of models .

<rcp> is the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) to which the data relate (see the Greenhouse Gas Scenarios page for more detail)

  1. RCP2.6 = the most ambitious mitigation scenario
  2. RCP4.5 = emissions peak earlier than RCP6.0 but drop rapidly
  3. RCP6.0 = lower emissions, achieved by application of some mitigation strategies and technologies
  4. RCP8.5 = a future with little curbing of emissions

<run> is a descriptor that indicates the run, initialisation and parameterisation versions of the simulation.

  1. r1i1p1 = run 1, initialisation 1, parameterisation 1

<time period> describes the range of years to which the future data relate.

  1. the period over which the future changes have been averaged

<change type> refers to the type of change calculated for the time period

  1. abs-change-wrt-1986-2005- clim = climatology given as absolute change (e.g. in mm, Wm-2, °C) with respect to the 1986-2005 average
  2. perc-change-wrt-1986-2005- clim =climatology given as percentage change with respect to the 1986-2005 average

<season aggregation method> refers to the way the data have been aggregated

  1. seasavg = averaged across the 'season' (which in this context can be month, 3-month season, 6-month season or annual)
  2. seassum = summed across the 'season'

<grid> describes the type of grid on which the data are provided

  1. native = All ‘NRM’ gridded change data are provided on the individual model’s native grid. These vary in size as described in the full list of models .

.nc is the file extension for NetCDF files.

NRM CMIP5 Gridded Application-ready Data files

Files are named using the following convention:

<variable>_<domain>_<model>_<rcp>_<run>_<method>_<version>_<frequency>(_<season aggregation method>)_<time period>(-<change type>).nc

where,

<variable> is the climate variable code:

  1. hurs = relative humidity at 2 m above the surface
  2. pr = precipitation at the surface
  3. rsds = solar radiation at the surface
  4. sfcWind = average wind speed at 10 m above the surface
  5. tas = average daily temperature at 2 m above the surface
  6. tasmax = maximum daily temperature at 2 m above the surface
  7. tasmin = minimum daily temperature at 2 m above the surface

<domain>  The name of the 'domain' or geographic area covered by the dataset:

  1. Aus = all ‘NRM’ application-ready data available from CCiA are for the ‘aus’ domain which is Australia-wide (not including offshore islands)

<model> is the name of the global climate model. For example, CNRM-CM5. Application-ready data are available from the CCiA eight model subset :

  1. ACCESS1-0
  2. CanESM2
  3. CESM1-CAM5
  4. CNRM-CM5
  5. GFDL-ESM2M
  6. HadGEM2-CC
  7. MIROC5
  8. NorESM1-M

<rcp> is the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) to which the data relate (see the Greenhouse Gas Scenarios page for more detail)

  1. RCP2.6 = the most ambitious mitigation scenario
  2. RCP4.5 = emissions peak earlier than RCP6.0 but drop rapidly
  3. RCP6.0 = lower emissions, achieved by application of some mitigation strategies and technologies
  4. RCP8.5 = a future with little curbing of emissions

<run> = a descriptor that indicates the run, initialisation and parameterisation versions of the simulation:

  1. r1i1p1 = run 1, initialisation 1, parameterisation 1

<method> describes the scaling method used to produce this specific dataset (see scaling methods for more detail)

  1. CSIRO-MnChg-wrt-1986-2005-Scl = monthly mean changes relative to 1986-2005 from the GCM used to scale observed data
  2. CSIRO-DecChg-wrt-1986-2005-Scl = monthly decile and percentile changes relative to 1986-2005 from the GCM used to scale observed data

<version> = version of the model as described by model description:

  1. v1 = all ‘NRM’ data available via CCiA were produced using version 1 of the scaling methods

<frequency> = the frequency (time-step) of the dataset (in datasets with multiple frequency data, the highest frequency or smallest time-step):

  1. day = daily
  2. mon = monthly

<time period> = the range of years to which the future data relate. For:

  1. for application-ready data this describes the future 30-years covered by the synthetic data

.nc is the file extension for NetCDF files.

Download NRM CMIP5 File Naming Convention

Download the file naming convention (265.5 KB)

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Page last updated 19th May 2025

Australian Climate Service CSIRO Bureau of Meteorology Australian Government - Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

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