Introduction
The QUEST Earth System Model (QESM) sits at the frontier of coupled Earth system modelling in terms of complexity and realism. This NERC-funded project represents an unprecedented attempt to simulate the direction and strength of a wide range of biogeochemical processes and feedbacks affecting the functioning of the Earth system under contemporary and likely future climate scenarios. The QESM will include chemistry-ecosystem-climate interactions and will have new, state-of-the-art modules for ocean-biosphere and land-biosphere processes, as well as for atmospheric chemistry and aerosol processes including their interaction with the biosphere.
The QESM is coordinated and managed by the UK's National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS-Climate) and the recently formed Walker Institute at the University of Reading. Its development builds upon the efforts of several exisiting modelling consortia currently engaged in the development of the following models:
> HadGAM1a (Hadley Centre Global Atmosphere Model) (Met Office) and NEMO (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean) (Met Office + EU partner institutes);
> UKCA (UK atmospheric chemistry aerosols model) which comprises atmospheric chemistry (Cambridge University) and aerosols (Leeds University);
> JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator) simulating land and ecosystem processes (CEH, Met Office, Sheffield University); and
> QPFT (Quantifying Plant Functional Types model) which represents the marine biosphere (University of East Anglia).
These developments build on research conducted within the QUEST Theme 1 projects as well as core activities within the Met Office, NCAS and CEH. (For use in QUEST Theme 2 projects, QUEST is also developing a lower-resolution, faster Earth System model based on the FAMOUS AOGCM.)
The main challenge of the QESM project is to develop a new Earth system model of intermediate resolution that couples the latest 'standalone' versions of the above models, while making the overall model attractive for use by the broader scientific community through a flexible user interface and a relatively low computational requirement. The project will complement the very high resolution climate models whose development is being coordinated by NCAS-Climate and the Met Office Hadley Centre, namely the UK-Japan Earth Simulator and UK-HiGEM.
In order to couple the various Earth system and climate modules, the QESM will use FLUME (Flexible Unified Model Environment), which is a new architecture for the Met Office's UM (Unified Model) system, designed to support modularity and facilitate the construction of new coupled modules. FLUME is partly based on the coupler developed by the EU FP5 Programme for Integrated Earth System Modelling (PRISM).
The physical model of QESM (HadGAM1-NEMO-CICE) will be based on an
intermediate resolution version of
the HadGEM3-OA model. Providing a physical model
suitable as the basis for QESM is the responsibility of the HadGEM3 project. The work for NEMO-CICE-UM coupling using OASIS
is being done both as part of the FLUME project and the HadGEM3
project. FLUME is providing the technical infrastructure but the HadGEM3
project is responsible for ensuring that all the physical couplings are
correct and conserved
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Introduction
