NOAA Unified Global Coupled Modeling

NOAA has recently made progress from its stove piped, isolated modeling infrastructure toward a more unified framework that incorporates models for the various earth system domains and provides initial continuity across the weather-to-climate spectrum.  Improved partnering between NWS, OAR and the rest of the community will enable future developments.  Ongoing programs such as the NGGPS program with its emphasis on development and implementation of a high-resolution global atmospheric model, coupled to a dynamical ocean, ice, and land model will provide two-week forecasts with the potential for extending to longer time scales.  CPO-sponsored extended range projects such as NMME leverage climate models at sub-seasonal time scales to improve prediction across the weather-to-climate gap.  The alignment incorporates the NCEP response to the UCACN/UMAC report, and supports the NOAA Unified Modeling Task Force.  This commonality will provide improved connection between the NOAA line offices as well as better integration with other-agency and community efforts.  Strategic coordination with other national efforts will be achieved in part via the National ESPC, and this effort will become a primary modeling contribution to National ESPC.