This dataset contains the model output from CESM2.2-8P4Z, used in Yu et al. (2024) and submitted to the Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (JAMES). These are the last 20-year averaged output files from 310 years of the model simulations, which are analyzed in Yu et al., (2024). CESM2.2-8P4Z contains twelve plankton groups, including eight types of phytoplankton: 1) picophytoplankton groups: Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes and diazotrophs; 2) nanophytoplankton groups: Phaeocystis, coccolithophores and a generic other nanophytoplankton; 3) micro-sized phytoplankton: diatoms; and four types of zooplankton: small microzooplankton (5-20 um, such as ciliates, nanoflagellates), large microzooplankton (20-200 um, such as copepod nauplii, small dinoflagellates etc.), mesozooplankton (200-2000 um, such as smaller copepod, large dinoflagellates) and macrozooplankton (>2000 um, such as larger copepod, krill). The MARBL-8P4Z model improves seasonal simulation of the spring bloom compared with more simplified MARBL configurations, benefiting from dampened diatom blooms at higher latitudes due to a combination of bottom-up and top-down drivers.