THE EARTH SYSTEM PREDICTION SUITE: Toward a Coordinated U.S. Modeling Capability.

Area of Science:

• Earth System Science
• Climate Modeling
• Weather Prediction

Background:

• The Earth System Prediction Suite (ESPS) integrates flagship U.S. weather and climate models.
• It aims to establish a common architecture for Earth system models.
• Coordinated model development activities in the U.S. have led to the ESPS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a unified suite of U.S. weather and climate models.
• To ensure interoperability and adherence to metadata standards.
• To make models available under open-source or restricted access.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) for component interfaces.
• Adopting the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC) Layer for component templates and conventions.
• Ensuring components conform to technical and semantic behaviors for simplified coupling.

Main Results:

• The ESPS simplifies the process of coupling different Earth system model components.
• It enables distributed, multi-agency development of coupled modeling systems.
• Facilitates controlled experimentation, testing, and exploration of novel model configurations.

Conclusions:

• The ESPS provides a standardized infrastructure for advanced Earth system modeling.
• It supports collaborative development and research across U.S. agencies.
• The suite includes diverse models like NavGEM, HYCOM, COAMPS, NEMS, MOM, CESM, ModelE, and GEOS-5.