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Copyright
A European Network for Earth System Modeling
Sophie Valcke, Reinhard Budich, Mick Carter, Marie-Alice Foujols, Éric
Guilyardi, Michael Lautenschlager, René Redler, Lois Steenman-Clark, Nils
Wedi
To cite this version:
Sophie Valcke, Reinhard Budich, Mick Carter, Marie-Alice Foujols, Éric Guilyardi, et al.. A European
Network for Earth System Modeling. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, American
Geophysical Union (AGU), 2007, 88 (12), pp.143. �10.1029/2007EO120003�. �hal-00150109�
Eos, Vol. 8 8 , No. 12, 20 March 2 0 0 7
Earth System Modeling
N E W S
A European Network for
PAGE 143
T h e increasing complexity of Earth system models and the c o m p u t i n g facilities n e e d e d to run t h o s e m o d e l s put a heavy t e c h n i c a l burden on r e s e a r c h t e a m s active in climate modeling. To e a s e this burden, a European collaborative venture c a l l e d PRISM w a s initi ated in D e c e m b e r 2001 to organize a net work of e x p e r t s in order to s h a r e the devel opment, m a i n t e n a n c e , and support of Earth system modeling software tools and c o m m u nity standards. PRISM w a s recently reorga nized, and a new W e b portal (http://prism. e n e s . o r g ) w a s unveiled in July 2 0 0 6 .
T h e PRISM network w a s d e v e l o p e d with the h o p e that a d v a n c i n g specific c o m m o n standards and tools will r e d u c e the t e c h n i c a l development efforts of individual r e s e a r c h teams, facilitate t h e assembling, running, and p o s t p r o c e s s i n g of Earth system m o d e l s b a s e d on state-of-the-art c o m p o n e n t models, and h e n c e facilitate scientific collaboration b e t w e e n the different r e s e a r c h groups in Europe and e l s e w h e r e .
PRISM w a s successfully initiated a s a Euro pean project under the Framework Programme 5 in 2 0 0 1 - 2 0 0 4 . Its long-term support is now ensured by multi-institute funding from 16 key E u r o p e a n institutions a n d c o m p u t e r
manufacturers contributing to a project called the PRISM Support Initiative. T h e main PRISM partners currently are C&C R e s e a r c h Laboratories, NEC Europe Ltd. (Germany), Centre Europeen de R e c h e r c h e et Formation A v a n c e e en Calcul Scientifique ( F r a n c e ) , Cen tre National de la R e c h e r c h e Scientifique ( F r a n c e ) , Gruppe Modelle und Daten from the Max-Planck-Institut fur Meteorologie (Ger many), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, National Centre for Atmo spheric S c i e n c e from the University of Read ing ( U K ) , and Met Office ( U K ) .
Organized a r o u n d five a r e a s of e x p e r t i s e , the PRISIM a d d r e s s e s metadata, c o d e c o u pling a n d input/output, integration a n d mod eling environments, data p r o c e s s i n g a n d m a n a g e m e n t , a n d computing issues. T h e strength a n d s u c c e s s of PRISM is in provid ing a network allowing Earth system m o d e l developers to s h a r e their t e c h n i c a l e x p e r t i s e and e x p e r i e n c e s . T h e benefit of the current PRISM organization is to allow ' b e s t of b r e e d ' software tools to naturally e m e r g e , although this m e a n s that PRISM relies on the d e v e l o p m e n t s d o n e in the different partner groups to p r o p o s e t e c h n i c a l software solu tions to Earth system modelers.
In the a r e a s w h e r e unique standards have to b e predefined, for e x a m p l e , for m e t a d a t a
definition, the key role of PRISM is to pro vide the E u r o p e a n entry point for interna tional coordination—for e x a m p l e , with t h e U.S.-led Earth System Modeling F r a m e w o r k ( E S M F ) project—within the World Climate R e s e a r c h P r o g r a m m e ( W C R P ) . Given its long-term institutional support, PRISM is now well p l a c e d to s e e k additional funding to provide m o r e networking a n d c o o r d i n a t i o n activities or to help s p e c i f i c t e c h n i c a l devel o p m e n t s within the partner groups. Addi tional contributors ( E u r o p e a n or not) a r e most w e l c o m e to join, bring in additional e x p e r t i s e , a n d e n s u r e a wider distribution of t h e PRISM tools a n d standards.
—SOPHIE VALCKE, C e n t r e E u r o p e e n d e R e c h e r c h e et d e F o r m a t i o n A v a n c e e e n C a l c u l Scienti fique, Toulouse, F r a n c e ; E-mail: v a l c k e @ c e r f a c s . f r ; REINHARD BUDICH, Max-Planck-Institut fur M e t e o rologie, H a m b u r g , G e r m a n y ; MlCK CARTER, Met Office, Exeter, U.K.; ERIC GuiLYARDI, C e n t r e National d e la R e c h e r c h e Scientifique, Universite P i e r r e et Marie Curie, Paris; MARIE-ALICE FOUJOLS, Institut Pierre-Simon L a p l a c e , Universite P i e r r e et Marie Curie, Paris; MICHAEL LAUTENSCHLAGER, G r u p p e Modelle und Daten, Max-Planck-Institut fur Meteorologie; RENE REDLER, C&C R e s e a r c h L a b o ratories, NEC E u r o p e Ltd., Sankt Augustin, Ger many; LOIS STEENMAN-CLARK, National C e n t e r for A t m o s p h e r i c S c i e n c e , University of Reading, R e a d ing, U.K.; A N D NILS WEDI, E u r o p e a n C e n t r e for M e d i u m - R a n g e W e a t h e r F o r e c a s t s , Reading, U.K.
Kamchatka Volcano Warnings
for Aviation Discontinued
PAGE 143
T h e program that provides warnings to the international aviation c o m m u n i t y when vol c a n o e s on Russia's K a m c h a t k a Peninsula erupt stopped providing t h e s e n o t i c e s on 1 March due to a l o s s of funding.
As of 1 J a n u a r y 2007, the Federal Unitary Enterprise State Air Traffic M a n a g e m e n t Cor poration of Russia halted its funding for the K a m c h a t k a V o l c a n i c Eruption R e s p o n s e T e a m . KVERT is a c o l l a b o r a t i v e project of scientists from the Russian Institute of Volca-nology and Seismology, the K a m c h a t k a Experimental and Methodical S e i s m o l o g i c a l Department, and t h e Alaska V o l c a n o Obser vatory (AVO). AVO is a c o o p e r a t i v e program of the U.S. G e o l o g i c a l Survey, the University of A l a s k a F a i r b a n k s G e o p h y s i c a l Institute,
a n d t h e A l a s k a Division of G e o l o g i c a l a n d G e o p h y s i c a l Surveys.
In a d d i t i o n to t h e d i s c o n t i n u a t i o n of avi ation w a r n i n g s , t h e l o s s of funding m e a n s that K V E R T c a n n o l o n g e r provide AVO a n d o t h e r s s u c h a s t h e U.S. National W e a t h e r S e r v i c e with a c c e s s to its v o l c a n o e r u p t i o n f o r e c a s t s a n d its g r o u n d - b a s e d m o n i t o r i n g s y s t e m s , a c c o r d i n g to AVO S c i -entist-in-Charge T o m Murray.
Eruptions from the 2 9 active v o l c a n o e s of the K a m c h a t k a Peninsula c a n s e n d v o l c a n i c ash high into the a t m o s p h e r e w h e r e it c a n b e c o m e a s e r i o u s threat to p l a n e s traveling on routes b e t w e e n Asia a n d North A m e r i c a . T h e ash c a n c l o g a plane's air filter system; d a m a g e e l e c t r o n i c s , including p o w e r genera tors a n d navigation equipment; a n d even c a u s e e n g i n e failure.
"The interruption of o b s e r v a t i o n a l vigi l a n c e a n d this rapid notification p r o c e s s r e d u c e s the margin of safety [for aircraft]," Murray said. "The l a c k of d a m a g i n g e n c o u n ters in the 14 y e a r s of KVERT o p e r a t i o n s dur ing a period of frequent explosive v o l c a n i c activity is testimony to their s u c c e s s to date."
T h e AVO will c o n t i n u e its own monitoring of t h e s e v o l c a n o e s via satellite a n d provide hazard warnings for the aviation community. However, t h e s e warnings a r e likely to b e not a s c o m p l e t e or a s timely a s the KVERT warn ings b e c a u s e the AVO n o longer h a s a c c e s s to the Russian ground-based o b s e r v a t i o n a l monitoring systems.
"Without a fuller suite of data to l o o k at a n d a l s o without the familiarity a n d e x p e r tise with the v o l c a n o e s that our Russian col l e a g u e s p o s s e s s , AVO in n o way c a n d e s c r i b e activity a s fully a s KVERT, a n d AVO will not even attempt to," Murray said.
