Structure and Collaboration

UKESM is a joint Met Office-NERC collaboration and comprises a core team tasked with coordinating the development of the Earth system components of UKESM models and then coupling these components into a full Earth system model (ESM). These components include ocean and terrestrial biogeochemistry, stratosphere-troposphere chemistry and aerosols and interactive land ice sheets. All of these components are coupled into an existing physical climate model that consist of a physical atmosphere, ocean, land and sea ice. Go to the Modelling section for more details on the model structure and components.

UKESM is primarily funded through UKRI NERC’s National Capability,  the Met Office Hadley Centre Program, the EU Horizon programme and ARIA. Collaboration focuses on the development and use of UKESM models and simulation data for advanced scientific analysis, evaluation and co-development of improved process-understanding.

UKESM participates in several national and international collaborations, through projects and international experiments such as the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) – a project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).  These partnerships enable the sharing of models, expertise, evaluation tools, and datasets—accelerating innovation and improving the reliability of climate projections. By working together, we enhance the productivity and impact of UKESM, ensuring that our science supports informed decisions worldwide.

Projects the UKESM group are currently involved in are: ESM2025, OptimESM, TipESM and AI4PEX. Previous projects involving UKESM or contributing to the development of models include: CRESCENDO,  PRIMAVERA , ORCHESTRA, LOCATE and ACSIS (further information can be found on these projects at Gateway to Research database).