Brief History of CESM (a work in progress)

Rick Anthes CESM Advisory Board

31 January 2012

CESM History

• 1980s Community Climate Model (CCM) • 1988-UCAR Climate System Model Initiative

(CSMI)—led to CSMP (Climate System Modeling Project and CSM)

• May 1996 First CCM Workshop in Breckenridge • 2000 Community Climate System Model (CCSM) • 2010 Community Earth System Model (CESM) • June 2011 16th CESM Workshop in Breckenridge

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CCM Advisory Committee 1982

Bob Dickinson, Mike Wallace, Rick Wolski, Dave Baumhefner, John Hovermale, Bert Semtner, John Kutzbach, Dave Williamson, Jack Geisler, Ferd Baer, Byron Boville, V. Ramanathan, Warren Washington, Maurice Blackmon, Akira Kasahara

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For a narrative history see: Anthes, R.A., 1997: Origins and Establishment of the MECCA Project. Chapter 1 in Assessing Climate Change, Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, The Netherlands, p. 3-27.

CSMI and CSMP Early History 1988-1995

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Thanks to Jay Fein who supported CSMI, CSMP and CCSM from the beginning and for many years!

Anthes letter to Warren Washington and Bob Dickinson, with lots of cc’s on CSMI vision 29 September 1988

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Received many positive responses, including from Roger Wakimoto, Asst. Professor at UCLA and on the UCAR University Relations Committee.

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June 1989-Michael Ghil (UCLA) and Guy Brasseur (NCAR) agree to serve as co-PI’s on CSMP proposal July 1990-Francis Bretherton (Wisconsin) agreed to serve as CSMP Director ½ time for one year. Dave Schimel (then at CSU) agreed to serve as full-time CSMP Project Scientist

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From the very beginning we envisioned an Earth System model, including human Activities.

First CSMI Workshop January 1989

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Two concerns were horizontal resolution and uncertainty (there were many others regarding physical and biological processes, how to couple models, etc.)

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Guy Brasseur gave an overview presentation and played prominently in the workshop-with

humor!

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MECCA History • Jan 1990-EPRI workshop on climate change • April 1990-Dedicated computer at NCAR for climate

modeling proposed • Dec 1990 Policy committee formed • 16 July 1991-MECCA computer at NCAR dedicated-CRAY Y-

MP two processors • 1991-Phase 1 experiments started • 1992-Some MECCA results in IPCC report • Feb 1994 IPCC regional climate workshop in Macquarie,

Australia • December 1994-Phase 2 experiments finished • December 1995-MECCA project ends

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CSMP Workshop and Scientific Advisory Committee meeting 11-13 April 1990

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CSMP originally envisioned as a national program with multi-agency support

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March 1991-Proposals for CSMP Core submitted to UCAR Project Office

CEES to make decision

• U. Alaska Fairbanks • Desert Research Institute/U. Nevada • LLNL • MIT • NCAR • U. Wisconsin-U. Illinois partnership

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Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES)

• My record is sketchy, but according to some e-mails from Francis Bretherton and Jay Fein in summer 1991: – DOE and NASA were resisting CSMP effort – NOAA was cautious – Strong support from NSF, EPA, and Departments of

Agriculture and Interior – In fall 1991 it was decided that CSMP would be

primarily an NSF-NCAR-university effort

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U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)

In Fall 2001 decision was made to make CSMP an NSF/DOE led effort with NCAR the core facility and focused on university participation. NCAR would work closely with GFDL (two-center model) The two-center model was formalized in the USGCRP Strategic Plan (2003) DOE has been a strong partner with NSF ever since

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1 January 1992

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Criteria for successful programs

• Great idea/vision • Plan to realize the vision • At least one full-time champion working for the program • A committed sponsor(s) and sponsor program manager(s) • Sufficient resources • Strong, committed and highly respected leadership of the program • Excellent program management • Hard work and perseverance • Supportive, efficient, agile organizational structure and management support • Community involvement, constructive external review and advice • Team of excellent scientists, engineers and support staff • Willingness among all team members to take acceptable risks, work hard, be

painfully honest and transparent, and persevere through the ups and downs. • Time • Some luck

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