Earth System Modeling Framework: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:13, 4 July 2008

Revision as of 16:18, 4 July 2008

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===Software Architecture===

ESMF is based on principles of [[component-based software engineering]]. The components within an ESMF software application usually represent large-scale physical domains such as the [[atmosphere]], [[ocean]], [[cryosphere]], or land surface. Some models also represent specific processes such(e.g. asocean atmosphericbiogeochemistry, the impact of [[radiativesolar processesradiation]] andon oceanthe [[biogeochemistry]]atmosphere) as components. In ESMF, components can create and drive other components so that an ocean biogeochemistry component can be part of a larger ocean component.

The software that connects physical domains is called a coupler in the Earth system modeling community. Couplers are [[software mediators]] that take the outputs from one component and transform them into the inputs that are needed to run another component. Transformations may include unit conversions, grid interpolation or remapping, mergers (i.e., combining land and ocean sufaces to form a completely covered global surface) or other specialized transformations. In ESMF, couplers are also software components.