The Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (OMIP) is a core component of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) and serves as an internationally recognized framework for evaluating and improving the performance of global ocean and sea-ice models. These models are critical tools for understanding the role of the ocean in Earth’s climate system and for projecting future climate scenarios. 

OMIP addresses the need for consistency and comparability by providing a set of standardized experimental protocols and diagnostic tools that guide participating modeling groups in the design and execution of simulations. These protocols (e.g. Griffies et al. 2016) define the atmospheric forcing fields to be used, the simulation periods, the output variables required for diagnostics, and the format in which data should be submitted.

By aligning model configurations and outputs, OMIP enables systematic intercomparison across a wide range of modeling centers worldwide. This collaborative structure facilitates the identification of shared model biases, such as errors in thermohaline circulation strength, misrepresentation of sea-ice extent, or discrepancies in tracer transport and distribution. The results from OMIP simulations also contribute to broader CMIP6 assessments and support the development of coupled Earth system models with improved ocean components.

To oversee and coordinate the activities under OMIP, the CLIVAR Ocean Model Development Panel (OMDP) has established a dedicated working group. This working group plays a central role in promoting international collaboration among model developers and users. It acts as a hub for communication between participating institutions, helps maintain and evolve the OMIP protocol suite, and provides guidance on technical implementation. Moreover, the group encourages open data sharing, reproducibility of results, and the dissemination of best practices, such as model tuning strategies and diagnostic methods. Through regular meetings, workshops, and joint publications, the OMIP working group fosters a vibrant scientific community committed to advancing the fidelity and utility of global ocean modeling in support of climate science.  The group will also create and maintain the next generation of atmospheric forcing datasets for use in OMIP.

Members