Acquisition of an Earth System Modeling Facility for Coupled Climate, Chemistry, and Biogeochemistry Studies

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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 ResearchBroader 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).