Award Abstract #0321380
Acquisition of an Earth System Modeling Facility for Coupled Climate, Chemistry, and Biogeochemistry Studies

NSF Org:	ATM Division of Atmospheric Sciences
Initial Amendment Date:	July 30, 2003
Latest Amendment Date:	July 30, 2003
Award Number:	0321380
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Jay S. Fein ATM Division of Atmospheric Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:	August 1, 2003
Expires:	July 31, 2006 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$773543
Investigator(s):	Charles Zender zender@uci.edu (Principal Investigator) Michael Prather (Co-Principal Investigator) James Famiglietti (Co-Principal Investigator) Gudrun Magnusdottir (Co-Principal Investigator) Jefferson Moore (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	University of California-Irvine 4199 Campus Dr Ste 300 IRVINE, CA 92697 949/824-4768
NSF Program(s):	CLIMATE & LARGE-SCALE DYNAMICS, MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION
Field Application(s):	0000099 Other Applications NEC
Program Reference Code(s):	OTHR, 5740, 1189, 0000
Program Element Code(s):	5740, 1189

ABSTRACT

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant supports the purchase of a high-performance computer and storage system as the centerpiece for the University of California-Irvine (UCI) Earth System Modeling Facility (ESMF). The UCI ESMF will be devoted to the integration, synthesis, and analysis of large models and datasets required to advance fundamental understanding of the coupled physical climate, chemistry, and biogeochemical cycles of the Earth system. It is tailored for the merging of ESM components (e.g., atmosphere, oceans, chemistry, biology, land hydrology) that normally consume the available computing resources of individual research projects. Although primarily a development facility for faculty and graduate researchers, the ESMF will produce the decade-long simulations of the coupled system that are needed for basic scientific studies. In terms of computing power, the ESMF fits between individual PI and school-based resources and national modeling facilities but in terms of development it is unique. The UCI ESMF fills a niche, allowing faculty, post-graduates, and students to work with high-performance computing in an environment where they control the computer and the code development.

The system being purchased is an IBM 64 processor p655 Power4 system, similar to, but (much) smaller than, the fastest production systems at the National Center for Atmospheric Research

Broader impacts include use of results from Earth system models to better inform environmental and energy policy decision-making and education and training of students in Earth system modeling, including students from a nearby Minority Serving Institution, California State University at Bakersfield (CSUB).

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