The Climate System Model Development and Application Studies (CSMDA for short) is an International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams that was started in October 2004 and is supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The initial objectives are “to develop a sustainable climate system model that can represent the interaction of different spheres in the climate system, to provide a cross-cut research platform for atmospheric sciences, oceanography and other related fields, and to offer theoretical support for developing and improving reasonable short-range climate prediction systems”.