Platform for Regional Integrated Modeling and Analysis

The integrated Regional Earth System Model (iRESM) is a unique modeling framework being developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to simulate the interactions among natural and human systems at scales relevant to regional decision making. The framework unites high-resolution models of regional climate, hydrology, agriculture, socioeconomics, and energy systems using a flexible software architecture. The framework is portable and can be customized to inform a variety of complex questions and decisions, including (but not limited to) planning, implementation, and evaluation of mitigation and adaptation options across a range of sectors. iRESM also incorporates extensive stakeholder interactions and analysis to inform model development, coupling strategies, and characterization of uncertainties. Ongoing numerical experiments are yielding new insights into the interactions among human and natural systems on regional scales, with an initial focus on the energy-land-water nexus and the penetration of renewable energy technologies in the upper U.S. Midwest. The iRESM framework also is being extended and applied to the U.S. Gulf Coast, with a particular emphasis on how changes in extreme events will affect both coastal in inland energy infrastructure in the region. This talk will focus on iRESM's development and capabilities, initial results from numerical experiments, and the challenges and opportunities associated with integrated regional modeling.