Minutes of the Scientific Steering Committee, Advisory Board
and CCSM Working Group Co-Chairs
Friday, 9 July 2004
Eldorado Hotel, Sunset Room

SSC Attendees: Bill Collins (Chair), Gordon Bonan, Cecilia Bitz, Chris Bretherton, Jim Hurrell, Scott Doney, Ben Santer, Danny McKenna, Jay Fein, Dave Bader, Bill Large, Tom Henderson, Anjuli Bamzai, Jim Hack, Maurice Blackmon, Phil Merilees, and Lydia Shiver

CAB Attendees: Ed Sarachik (Chair), Tim Killeen, Eric Sundquist, Michele Rienecker, Isaac Held, and John Drake

Working Group Co-Chair Attendees: Phil Rasch, Leo Donner, Dick Moritz, Steve Jayne, Matthew Huber, Pat Worley, Elizabeth Hunke, Inez Fung, Marika Holland, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Natalie Mahowald, and Clara Deser

Guests: Don Anderson, NASA

1. 2005 Annual Workshop. The attendees discussed where next year's workshop should be held, looking at the impact on the NCAR staff and additional time and money for the NCAR staff to travel to the workshop. An electronic poll will be sent to the CCSM workshop participants for input.

It was suggested we could save money if we have the workshop in the Boulder/Denver area due to lower costs for NCAR staff. It was also suggested that all covered expenses for staff should be estimated and paid, so the NCAR staff is not taking reductions for attending the workshop, such as taking a bus or receiving reduced mileage for personal car travel.

Suggested themes for 2005 were (1) atmospheric reactive chemistry, (2) tropical biases to include atmosphere/ocean and others, such as tropical chemistry; (3) what can we learn from high-resolution modeling; and (4) overview of IPCC simulations. It was decided that an overview of IPCC simulations could be a theme for 2006, and next year's theme will focus on tropical biases, including ENSO and deficiencies in CCSM and teleconnections, tropical climate system, and historical record on tropical biases. Shiver will send the list to the SSC and others for input and to ask for suggestions for plenary speakers.

Restructuring of the workshop was discussed. Some suggestions were to bring back the wrap-up session and focus on the coupled system. Individual working groups can cover their specific working group issues at their meetings during the remainder of the year. Each working group could have a business meeting at the annual workshop. The poster session should be more formal. We should encourage remote access meeting coverage, and additional time for plenary sessions with speakers from each working group.

2.Near-Term Issues. Merilees requested that all input from the working groups on the draft CSL Proposals must be sent by close of business, Monday, 12 July 2004.

3.Access to Data Discussion. Collins stated that CCSM has a data policy and that everyone should adhere to that policy. It was suggested that we find a way to inform the community about what data and runs are available, and all agreed that the important data and runs should be posted on the Earth System Grid. In September the IPCC data would be available from PCMDI. We need to decide if we want to spend funds on data storage.

4.CCSM Visitor Program. A list of names of "critical people" that could help diagnose the model for process development should be obtained before the next CAB meeting. A CCSM Graduate Student Program should be started by having a student write a proposal, and the student's advisor and one relevant working group co-chair should support the proposal. A 3-day workshop was proposed where faculty come to NCAR and meet with the graduate students and CCSM staff. Collins stated that to have a graduate student program, CCSM will need a funding commitment from the NCAR Directorate for 4 years, and the program must be sustainable. It was suggested the program could offer $20,000 per student and no tuition or $50,000 including tuition. Collins will explore a visitor program and graduate student program with the NCAR Directorate.

5.CSL Proposal. It was suggested that CCSM management start thinking earlier about how we will use manpower and computing resources.

6.International Postdoc Network. Mahowald suggested that an NCAR organized workshop on earth system science in simple and complex models be held adjacent to the annual CCSM workshop for approximately 50 participants.

7.CCSM Priorities. The CCSM priorities are coupled chemistry modeling and process oriented modeling. Priorities identified in the CCSM Business and Science Plans should be included, and new science directions and impacts on ongoing science should be considered. How CCSM manpower resources will be used and how everything will be integrated also should be considered.

Collins reported he moved one software engineer to work on biogeochemistry issues and also has directed another software engineer to work on chemistry issues. The CCSM Business Plan stated that we should add two software engineers, and a plan of how to hire two new software engineers needs to be formulated.

Collins and Henderson will produce a software engineering plan, including who will work on what and with whom. It was stressed that Collins and Henderson need to know design requirements from each working group, so they can plan manpower resources, and also so they can determine what SciDAC can contribute.

8.Other Suggestions. A vehicle to test changes in the coupled model is needed. A mini workshop should be held with the AMWG, OMWG, GFDL, COLA, etc., to discuss integrated atmosphere/ocean diagnostics. The bi-weekly CCSM Scientists' meetings could focus on the coupled model and integrated diagnostics.