About
The Infrastructure for Norwegian Earth System modelling entered its second phase, INES2, in January 2025. The primary objective of INES2 is to provide a cutting-edge Earth system modelling infrastructure that can support and inform climate mitigation and adaptation decisions. To better organise the diverse expectations towards INES2 and achieve the envisioned impact, the primary objective is detailed with four secondary objectives:
1. Upgrade the coupled NorESM model to provide novel, advanced and critical functionality through coordinated integration of modular research-driven developments.
2. Define and validate model versions suitable for national and international climate assessments, and provide and disseminate required baseline simulations.
3. Provide upgraded utilities and knowledge interface for users of varying expertise – via documentation and training activities – to efficiently perform model simulations, handle storage, conduct analysis and validate model results with observations.
4. Provide suitable model configurations and data products useful for climate service applications and climate predictions, along with efficient dissemination towards national and international stakeholders.
A climate model couples specialised computer models for various components of the climate system, such as atmosphere, ocean, sea ice and land surface with vegetation and ice sheets. When the climate model also includes advanced atmospheric chemistry and biogeochemical cycles (such as the carbon cycle), it is called an Earth system model. NorESM is the Norwegian Earth System Model and is an essential tool for researchers to be able to simulate the climate in the past, present and future. The model is therefore central to providing the necessary knowledge at a time when the world is facing increasing challenges from climate change, which require immediate measures to develop and apply effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.
The infrastructure project INES2 will upgrade NorESM with new and updated functionality by incorporating research-driven development in a nationally coordinated manner. New versions of NorESM will be defined and validated, suitable for national and international climate assessments, and carry out and provide the necessary reference simulations with these new model versions. The infrastructure will deliver upgraded tools and knowledge interface for users with different levels of expertise – via documentation and training activities – to efficiently perform model simulations, handle data storage, conduct analysis and validate model results with observations. Further, INES2 will support a range of model configurations and data products useful for climate services and climate prediction, together with effective dissemination to national and international stakeholders.
With NorESM, Norway has contributed climate simulations to the knowledge base of the two previous assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). IPCC’s 7th assessment report is scheduled for 2028 and INES2 will be crucial for NorESM to be able to deliver updated simulations, addressing new and complex questions related to climate change and risks.
Our world faces increasing challenges from changing climate conditions, demanding urgent action to develop and apply efficient mitigation and adaptation strategies. The Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM) is a crucial tool that simulates past, present and future climate by integrating sophisticated components of the climate system. An upgraded NorESM infrastructure is required to address the expanding and complex set of questions asked of climate science, by advancing the capabilities of the model. Importantly, this upgrade will enable a Norwegian contribution to the Climate Model Intercomparison Project 7 (CMIP7), pivotal for climate change assessments such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Infrastructure for Norwegian Earth System modelling phase 2 project (INES2) will provide a cutting-edge and verified NorESM required to advance knowledge, including that needed for climate services, on future climate change and impacts, with a special focus on high latitudes, Norway and adjacent regions.
INES2 aims to provide an infrastructure for efficient model simulations, storage, analysis, validation, documentation and training available for the national climate science community and collaborating international groups, and connect to national and international data grids which ensure that model data is efficiently shared and complies with established high standards of the climate community. Climate modelling in Norway is highly dependent on High Performance Computer (HPC) and storage systems provided by Sigma2. INES2 will ensure continued and efficient utilization of these systems.
INES2 will provide a strong and necessary boost to the national climate research community, ensuring also in the future high involvement of NorESM in projects (currently in 12 EU, 31 RCN, 10 internal institutional, and 1 Nordic). The project partnership constitutes seven established Norwegian climate research institutions.