CCSM2.0
Coupler v5.0 Documentation
Introduction
The CCSM coupler, version 5.0 (cpl5), was released on May 17, 2002, as part
of the CCSM2.0 release.
Documentation
- User Documents
- Combined User's Guide,
Code Reference, and
Scientific Description
html
pdf
What is a "coupler" ?
CCSM coupled model is based on a framework which divides the complete climate
system into component models connected by a coupler. This design
requires four component models -- atmosphere, land, ocean, and sea-ice --
each connected to the coupler, and each exchanging data with the coupler only.
From a software engineering point of view, the CCSM is not a particular
climate model, but a framework for building and testing various climate models
for various applications. In this sense, more than any particular component
model, the coupler defines the high-level design of CCSM software.
The coupler code has several key functions within the CCSM framework:
- It allows the CCSM to be broken down into separate components,
atmosphere, sea-ice, land, and ocean, that are "plugged into" the coupler.
Each component model is a separate code that is free to choose
it's own spatial resolution and time step.
Individual components can be created, modified, or replaced
without necessitating code changes in other components. CCSM
components run as separate executables, communicate via message passing
(MPI in particular),
and can be distributed among several computers.
- It controls the execution and time evolution of the complete CCSM by
synchronizing and controlling the flow of data between the various
components.
- It communicates interfacial fluxes between the various component
models while insuring the conservation of fluxed quantities.
For certain flux fields, it also computes interfacial fluxes
between the various component models (based on state variables).