From the Program Manager, Feb ’22: Setting Future Path and Vision
Xujing Davis, ESMD Program Manager, DOE BER
I hope you are having a great start to the new year! While the E3SM team develops its future path and decadal vision, their parallel efforts include subsequent development for future model versions and work on documenting/publishing the v1 and v2 simulation results.
E3SM Achievements
The overview paper for E3SMv1.2-Cryosphere model describes E3SM’s new capability of simulating ice-shelf basal melting under Antarctic ice shelves. Combined work from SciDAC/ProSPect, E3SM project, and a DOE Early Career Award have made exciting progress in representing processes related to Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS)’s surface mass balance. Both advancements are of great importance in reducing uncertainties in projections of the global and regional sea level rise. To improve the convection in E3SM Atmosphere Model (EAM) v3, five different convection configurations were thoroughly tested and evaluated, and a candidate v3 convection configuration will be produced. New results from the global storm-scale simulations using the prototype of EAMv4, currently named SCREAM, were published and highlighted on the cover of the November issue of JAMES.
E3SM presence at AGU and AMS
E3SM had a notable presence at AGU and AMS conferences. Sarat Sreepathi and Phil Jones of the E3SM Performance group along with collaborators organized a High-Performance Computing (HPC) session focused on Earth System Modeling in AGU. In this session, the algorithmic and performance improvements in E3SMv2 were presented by scientists from E3SM and related ecosystem projects. At AMS, Dave Bader and Ruby Leung co-chaired a session with colleagues from other modeling centers, devoted to global weather, climate, and Earth system modeling to address the security challenges facing the US and the world. You can find the full participation of E3SM in AGU and AMS on the public E3SM Conferences and Meetings webpage.
Leadership Transition
In January, E3SM BGC core group experienced a leadership transition, with Kate Calvin assuming the role at NASA Head Quarters as both Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor and Ben Bond-Lamberty taking over the leadership of the BGC group along with Susannah Burrows and Jennifer Holm. We greatly value Kate’s contribution and leadership. She is very much missed and has our best wishes. Thanks to Ben for graciously agreeing to take this important task in addition to his continued role as Land/Energy subproject leader.
Awards
Congratulations to Ruby Leung who, with collaborators, received a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) award. The project will improve E3SM using machine learning techniques to bias correct model simulations. The improved standard-resolution E3SM, together with high-resolution SCREAM, will be used to project future changes in storm structure and characteristics.
Research Highlights
This newsletter issue also highlights research on new developments in simulating MCSs, sub-grid topographic effects, algorithms for geophysical flows; identifying the necessary ensemble size for estimating extremes, as well as new insights into physical processes essential for reproducing the observational variability of the diurnal cycle of precipitation. A SciDAC work focusing on atmospheric physics parametrizations was featured in GEWEX. E3SM’s long-term archiving tool, zstash v1.2.0 has been upgraded to support Globus and has the ability to extract or check a subset of tar files.
Additional highlights include a Puget Sound Scoping Study which is underway, aiming to lay the foundation for pivotal research of complex coastal systems interactions. This coastal study is supported by all three program areas of the EESM and a valuable addition to other ongoing coastal projects such as the COMPASS-Great Lakes Modeling.
Note on FOAs
On another note, thanks to all who submitted pre-applications to the Modeling FOA and SciDAC FOA. You should have received responses from DOE. While preparing for your full applications, I encourage you to visit the Modeling FOA FAQs for some common questions you may have. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or/and Renu Joseph for Modeling FOA, and me and Randall Laviolette for SciDAC FOA.
News from EESSD
There have been many exciting events around the Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences (EESSD) at DOE BER. Please visit the reflection and update of the 10-day AI4ESP workshop summarized by Olga Tweedy. EESSD also held an Integrated Mountain Hydro-Climate Workshop last fall. The reports for both AI4ESP and IMHC workshops are under development and will be made available over the next few months. MultiSector Dynamics (MSD) program area just released a Research Vision for 2030. There have been good discussions between E3SM and ARM leadership for further strengthening the coordination and integration . The updated ARM Decadal Vision in 2021 identified “Accelerate and amplify the impact of ARM measurements on earth system models” as one of the four main themes activities. As E3SM goes into next phase and updates its decadal vision, this kind of discussion is timely!
Thanks to the enormous effort from the PNNL communication team, the EESM site has a completely new look with advanced features. If you encounter any issues when navigating or working with it, please inform the webmaster or me directly if needed.
Dates to Remember
Coming up: Please make sure to reserve Oct 31- Nov 3rd, 2022, for a joint, virtual EESM PI meeting, more details will be shared over the next few months. Also, note that the E3SM swag store will extend its opening until the end of March 2022!
On Interagency Front
On the interagency front, E3SM scientists have been actively engaged in broad earth system modeling efforts such as via the USGCRP’s Interagency Group on Integrative Modeling, ICAMS‘ Working Group under subcommittee on Earth System Modeling and prediction, NCA5. Ruby Leung recently accepted the invitation to be one of the two co-chairs of the USCLIVAR Science Steering Committee following the science communities’ recommendation and Interagency Group’s approval. DOE EESSD program managers have also worked with colleagues from other agencies on the development of the Arctic Research Plan 2022–2026 and the following Biennial Implementation Plan.
Hope you enjoy the exciting updates from this issue and have a great start to the year. I look forward to working with the E3SM team, its ecosystem project teams, and the broad earth science modeling community toward the next phase of E3SM development. Please do not hesitate to contact me for anything.
Best wishes,
Xujing
