Abstract
Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs) are fundamental to our understanding of how the land surface responds to changes in climate. However, MIPs are challenging to conduct, requiring the organization of multiple, decentralized modeling teams throughout the world running common protocols. We explored centralizing these models on a single supercomputing system. We ran nine offline terrestrial biosphere models through the Terrestrial Biosphere Model Farm: CABLE, CENTURY, HyLand, ISAM, JULES, LPJ-GUESS, ORCHIDEE, SiB-3, and SiB-CASA. All models were wrapped in a software framework driven with common forcing data, spin-up, and run protocols specified by the Multi-scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP) for years 1901–2100. We ran more than a dozen model experiments. We identify three major benefits and three major challenges. The benefits include: (a) processing multiple models through a MIP is relatively straightforward, (b) MIP protocols are run consistently across models, which may reduce some model output variability, and (c) unique multimodel experiments can provide novel output for analysis. The challenges are: (a) technological demand is large, particularly for data and output storage and transfer; (b) model versions lag those from the core model development teams; and (c) there is still a need for intellectual input from the core model development teams for insight into model results. A merger with the open-source, cloud-based Predictive Ecosystem Analyzer (PEcAn) ecoinformatics system may be a path forward to overcoming these challenges.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e2021MS002676 |
| Journal | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2022 |
Funding
This paper is dedicated to Gary Block, founding software developer of the Model Farm, who was taken from us by COVID\u201019 during the writing of the paper. The authors thank C. Prentice, C. Miller, G. Stephens, R. Kennedy, P. Ciais, F. Maignan, K. Wong, Y. Elshorbany, D. Rivera, N. Perakalapudi, E. Villanueva, and V. Kantchev. The authors thank the JAMES editor and reviewers for constructive comments. The research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged. Support was provided in part by NASA programs: CMS, CARBON, TE, ABoVE, and CARVE; support was also provided by JPL RTD and JPL SRTD. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. Funding for the Multi\u2010scale synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP; https://nacp.ornl.gov/MsTMIP.shtml ) activity was provided through NASA ROSES Grants #NNX10AG01A and NNX14AI54G. Data management support for preparing, documenting, and distributing model driver, and output data was performed by the Modeling and Synthesis Thematic Data Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (MAST\u2010DC; https://nacp.ornl.gov ) with funding through NASA ROSES Grant #NNH10AN681. Finalized MsTMIP data products are archived at the ORNL DAAC ( https://daac.ornl.gov ). The authors also acknowledge the modeling groups that provided results to MsTMIP. This paper is dedicated to Gary Block, founding software developer of the Model Farm, who was taken from us by COVID-19 during the writing of the paper. The authors thank C. Prentice, C. Miller, G. Stephens, R. Kennedy, P. Ciais, F. Maignan, K. Wong, Y. Elshorbany, D. Rivera, N. Perakalapudi, E. Villanueva, and V. Kantchev. The authors thank the JAMES editor and reviewers for constructive comments. The research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged. Support was provided in part by NASA programs: CMS, CARBON, TE, ABoVE, and CARVE; support was also provided by JPL RTD and JPL SRTD. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. Funding for the Multi-scale synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP; https://nacp.ornl.gov/MsTMIP.shtml) activity was provided through NASA ROSES Grants #NNX10AG01A and NNX14AI54G. Data management support for preparing, documenting, and distributing model driver, and output data was performed by the Modeling and Synthesis Thematic Data Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (MAST-DC; https://nacp.ornl.gov) with funding through NASA ROSES Grant #NNH10AN681. Finalized MsTMIP data products are archived at the ORNL DAAC (https://daac.ornl.gov). The authors also acknowledge the modeling groups that provided results to MsTMIP.
Keywords
- Earth System Model
- PEcAn
- ecoinformatic
- ecosystem model
- land surface model
- model intercomparison project
- terrestrial biosphere model
- vegetation model