Abstract: We compare 27 wheat models’ yield responses to interannual climate variability, analyzed at locations in Argentina, Australia, India, and The Netherlands as part of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Wheat Pilot. Each model simulated 1981-2010 grain yield, and we evaluate results against the interannual variability of growing season temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation. The amount of information used for calibration has only a minor effect on most models’ climate response, and even small multi-model ensembles prove beneficial. Wheat model clusters reveal common characteristics of yield response to climate; however models rarely share the same cluster at all four sites indicating substantial independence. Only a weak relationship (R-2 <= 0.24) was found between the models’ sensitivities to interannual temperature variability and their response to long-term warming, suggesting that additional processes differentiate climate change impacts from observed climate variability analogs and motivating continuing analysis and model development efforts. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Abstract: A common format for model input variables and model output variables has been defined to be distributed to modellers participating in the model inter-comparison and improvement. The aim of common formats is to support the communication between the modellers, those providing empirical data of the experiments and those analysing the simulation results. The input format facilitates the model application in a way that each cropping-system to be modelled will be defined in the same way. Data will be delivered in EXCEL sheets with sub-tables for each block of inputs. Tables are mostly organized in a way that allows export and sequential read-in by the models. The common output format enables effective processing of results estimating model performance indicators. No Label