NCEP
Synergy Meeting Highlights: January 28, 2013
This meeting was
led by Wallace Hogsett (HPC) and attended by Dave
Novak and Keith Brill (HPC); Bill Bua (UCAR/COMET);
Chris Caruso-Magee (NCO); John Derber, Eric Rogers,
Stephen Barry, Hendrik Tolman,
and Mary Hart (EMC); Scott Scallion (MDL); Richard Pasch (NHC); Israel Jirak, (SPC); Bill Ward (PR); Carven Scott (AR); Andy Edman (WR); Dave Radell and Brian
Miretzky (ER); Aiyun Zang (NOS); Roberto Garcia (Puerto Rico WFO).
1. NOTES FROM NCO
(Chris
Caruso-Magee)
NCO is working with
developers on the WCOSS (new supercomputer) transition, which is about 40%
done. The GFS and NAM are going well. The global wave model work is ongoing,
hurricane wave model work is beginning, the combined FNMOC wave ensemble work
is ongoing, and the Great Lakes wave model is close to being done. The SREF and
GEFS transitions are scheduled to begin as early as early February. Three weeks
per major model transition is allotted from the Senior Production Analyst (SPA)
perspective. Then, one week is allotted for the developer to validate the SPA's
first test using canned data, another week for the SPA to set up the jobs using
live data, and then another week for the developer to validate the SPA's test
using live data. So, it could be up to three weeks after the initial SPA test
until final developer validation.
For outside folks,
we are not sure how they will access the data. We will use the MAG website to
help with evaluation, and some data will be pushed to the NCEP FTP server.
Regions and WFOs should stay tuned; customer validation is the last step. Also,
MOS is completely in on WCOSS, and the last piece came in from NOS on Friday.
Both are in great shape.
The HWRF system, not
including upgrades, has been fully tested on Tide. The GFDL is not ready
because their developers did not have access to Tide until very recently.
Parallels may be made available to NHC. The full transition from CCS to WCOSS
will occur in August, but that doesn’t mean that the work is done at that time.
There is an issue with the load balancer, which distributes jobs on the various
nodes. The load balancer issue will not be resolved until April, and then the
SPAs will have to work to get everything on the final version of WCOSS.
Discussion about
coarse GFS grids and MRF-lookalike grids: WR and AR need the 381 km data, but
not necessarily the 190 km. Puerto Rico uses and needs the 00Z and 12Z runs at
190 km at least out to Day 7. NCO wants to get rid of MRF lookalikes (low
resolution) before the transition to WCOSS. Most don’t care about those, and
that’s a number one goal. See this link for more information: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/pns13gfslegacy.htm
Why do you need the 190 km
grids? Northern Hemisphere 381 km data are used to see Rossby
waves moving in. Are fields produced at 12z and 00z? Puerto Rico WFO looks at 4
cycles.
2. NOTES FROM EMC
2a. Global
Climate and Weather Modeling Branch (GCWMB) (John Derber
and Yuejian Zhu)
The WCOSS transition
and preparations for the next implementation after the transition are the main
activities. The next GFS will be T1148 semi-Lagrangian,
which will be an improvement in the forecast resolution. AWIPS should not change;
the GRIB files will be the same resolution. The new GFS (~17km grid spacing)
parallels will begin in October and will go operational in early 2014.
The group discussed
the possibility of higher resolution GFS data for users. Half-degree fields are
produced now; some groups want even higher resolution. It is possible to
produce higher resolution data, but getting the data to the field via AWIPS is
the issue. It’s not useful to produce the high resolution data if it cannot be
disseminated. There is a need for support to get global half-degree GFS data
out to the field.
There is some push
from above for a GDAS implementation before the WCOSS transition to include MetOp-B and NPP data. Nothing has been decided, and there
are some problems getting data. This could occur before the transition in the
May timeframe. It will only be done with approval as we don’t want to slow the
transition.
Non-NCEP update: The
Canadian Global Ensemble will be upgraded in the coming weeks to a
higher-resolution (horizontal and vertical) and unified physics version. The
initial results show a skill increase for days 1 – 7.
2b. Mesoscale Modeling Branch (MMB) (Eric Rogers)
MMB is working on
the WCOSS transition and running tests for the NAM. Changes include RRTM
radiation and convection changes, which are showing good impact on synoptic
scales and some good impact on convective systems. Implementation of the new
NAM will not occur for a while after the WCOSS transition.
A bug was discovered
in the SREF BUFR sounding output for NMM-B members. Precipitation is supposed
to be hourly, but for the NMM-B it’s hourly except for every three hours, when
it’s three hourly. Jun Du has fix, which could be a one-liner [UPDATE: SREF
BUFR fix implemented February 4]. The RTMA implementation didn’t make it onto
the last CCS change. The next version of the RAP will be implemented late next
year.
2c. Marine
Modeling and Analysis Branch (MMAB) (Hendrik Tolman)
The ocean models are
making good progress on WCOSS. There were issues with IBM in the past, but
they’re doing well now. Tracer is almost done, and the other two are very close
to finished. We have found a workaround, although not a solution, for the MPI
libraries.
The Great lakes
model is going in either by the old fashioned way or with a physics upgrade on
the new machines. The physics upgrade is uncertain, as it could cause work for
NCO. MMAB is ready to go, but we are not driving the boat. The global wave
model will cover the Arctic in year or so, at least up to 88N. RTOFS model is waiting
for global DA so that the hurricane implementations are linked in terms of
manpower. Ice concentration and models were discussed a few months ago at the
production review meeting.
3. NATIONAL OCEAN
SERVICE (NOS, Aiyun Zang)
We sent the Great
Lakes package to NCO, and they are testing it. So far, the Tide output looks
reasonable.
4. FEEDBACK FROM
MDL/OPERATIONAL CENTERS/REGIONS
4a. MDL (Scott Scallion)
Working on WCOSS
transition. A major announcement is that the gridded LAMP data is now being
disseminated across the SBN.
4b. NCEP Centers
and NWS Regions
Hydrological
Prediction Center (HPC, Dave Novak): No report.
Storm Prediction
Center (SPC,
Israel Jirak): No report.
National
Hurricane Center (NHC, Richard Pasch):
What role will NHC
play in the WCOSS transition? NCO: The new output will not be bit-by-bit
reproducible, but no egregious errors are expected. We can’t disseminate the
data via AWIPS, so we’ll rely on the MAG site and FTP to get the data to users.
Ocean Prediction
Center (OPC): No representative.
Aviation Weather
Center (AWC): No representative.
Pacific Region
(PR, Bill
Ward):
The group continued
to discuss the field’s need for global GFS data. Pacific Region not only
monitors the northern hemisphere, but also the southern hemisphere to track
storms there and around the dateline. Western Region also tracks storms a long
way around the globe, and farther out than most people
understand. AWIPS work is the challenge; we would love half-degree global data.
We need to get the data to AWIPS, as well as in AWIPS. It would be great to get
some NWSHQ communications folks on these calls. This is an issue that needs to
go to a higher level.
It may be possible
to use NOMADS to slice and dice the data, or to regrid the data to fit it through the pipe.
Alaska Region
(AR, Carven
Scott): No report.
Eastern Region (ER, Dave Radell and Brian Miretzky):
No report.
Western Region
(WR, Andy
Edman): No report.
Southern Region
(SR, no
representative): No report.
Central Region
(CR, no
representative): No report.
5. NESDIS (no representative): No
report.
6. The next
Synergy Meeting will be held at 2:30 pm EST on Monday, 4 Mar 2013 in NCWCP
conference room 2155, with remote teleconferencing capability.