CESM Working Groups

The CESM Working Groups are relatively small teams of scientists that work on individual component models or specific coupling strategies. Each team takes responsibility for developing and continually improving its component of the CESM consistent with the CESM goal of a fully-coupled model and with the CESM design criteria. Each team will decide their own development priorities and work schedules, consistent with the overall goals of CESM, and subject to oversight by the CESM Scientific Steering Committee (SSC).

Working Group Liaison Description
Atmosphere Model Cecile Hannay The Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) is the latest in a series of global atmosphere models developed at NCAR for the weather and climate research communities. CAM also serves as the atmospheric component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM).
Land Ice Stephen Price The Land Ice Working Group (LIWG) was formed to develop and apply the ice sheet model component of CESM and to assess the role of land ice in climate change and sea-level rise.
Land Model Sam Levis The Community Land Model is the land model for the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM).
Ocean Model Susan Bates The Ocean Model Working Group was formed to discuss issues related to ocean components in the CESM context and to coordinate the development and testing of ocean components.
Polar Climate David Bailey The Polar Climate Working Group (PCWG) is a consortium of scientists who are interested in modeling and understanding the climate in the Arctic and the Antarctic, and how polar climate processes interact with and influence climate at lower latitudes.
Biogeochemistry Keith Lindsay The overall goal of the Biogeochemistry Working Group (BGCWG) is to improve our understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between the physical climate and biogeochemical systems under past, present and future climates.
Chemistry-Climate Simone Tilmes The Community Earth System Model (CESM) chemistry-climate working group is formed to focus on the coupling between the climate system, aerosols, atmospheric composition and chemistry.
Climate Variability & Change Gary Strand and Adam Phillips The Climate Variability & Change Working Group (CVCWG) was created from a merge of the Climate Variability and Climate Change Working Groups in August 2011. CVCWG conducts simulations with CESM and its component models that are available to the broad research community.
Paleoclimate Nan Rosenbloom and Christine Shields The largest climate changes that have occurred on Earth, such as the Ice Ages, are those recorded in the geologic record. Understanding the causes of such past climate changes is an essential part of developing and validating models of future climate change.
Societal Dimensions -- The overall goal of the Societal Dimensions Working Group is to enhance CESM and its application in order to improve understanding of the interactions between human and earth systems.
Software Engineering -- The Software Engineering Working Group (SEWG) was formed to examine software engineering issues related to creating and executing CESM model codes, and to recommend and help coordinate software engineering practices that will help the CESM project to achieve its goals.
Whole Atmosphere Mike Mills The Whole Atmosphere Working Group (WAWG) was formed to examine the range of altitude from the Earth's surface to the thermosphere.

CESM Project

The Community Earth System Model (CESM) is a fully-coupled, global climate model that provides state-of-the-art computer simulations of the Earth's past, present, and future climate states.

CESM is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Administration of the CESM is maintained by the Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

Accessing CESM Development Code

The development code is an evolving code base geared to the next public release. Consequently, access is limited to those actively contributing to the design and application of the next generation CESM. If you are working closely with a working group, then you may apply for access by filling out an online form.

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