Earth System Model Development and Analysis | DE FOA 0001862

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Earth System Model Development and Analysis funding opportunity?

The Earth System Model Development and Analysis funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001862) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science grant program that supports research to improve understanding and simulation of the Earth system. It targets both process-level and system-level knowledge of how the Earth varies and changes over time.

What is the main goal of this FOA?

The central goal is to deepen scientific understanding of Earth system variability and change, including interactions and feedbacks among major components such as the atmosphere, oceans, land, biogeochemistry, and the cryosphere. A key theme is strengthening global coupled Earth system modeling so simulations are more informative, credible, and better constrained by real-world observations.

Which Earth system model is emphasized for supported work?

The FOA places particular emphasis on DOE's Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM). E3SM is positioned as the primary model for supported work, either used by itself or used alongside other advanced Earth system models.

What is E3SM, as described in the FOA?

E3SM is described as a full Earth system model built with advanced software and intended to run on DOE high-performance computing resources. The FOA notes that E3SM includes high-resolution configurations designed to investigate energy-relevant grand challenge research questions.

What kinds of activities does the FOA fund?

The FOA supports research focused on advancing the design, evaluation, diagnosis, analysis, and improvement of sophisticated coupled Earth system models, with particular focus on E3SM. It funds both scientific analysis using E3SM and targeted development work that improves model fidelity and reliability for coupled Earth system behavior.

How does the FOA differentiate between work on E3SM v1 versus v2/v3?

For projects centered on E3SM v1, the FOA encourages using a "hierarchy of models" approach to isolate key processes and understand interactions across Earth system components. For proposals oriented toward E3SM v2 and v3, the emphasis shifts toward active model development and improvement, including identifying, diagnosing, and correcting impactful coupled-model biases.

What is meant by a "hierarchy of models" approach for E3SM v1 projects?

In this FOA, a hierarchy of models means investigators can combine the full coupled Earth system model with simpler or more targeted configurations. The purpose is to isolate specific processes and better understand how different Earth system components interact and feed back on each other.

What kinds of Earth system interactions and feedbacks are of interest?

The FOA highlights interest in feedbacks across multiple systems, including (as examples) how ocean variability affects atmospheric circulation; how land and vegetation processes influence water and energy cycling; how biogeochemical changes alter climate-relevant fluxes; and how ice and snow processes feed back onto global climate patterns.

What does the FOA expect from development-focused projects targeting E3SM v2 and v3?

Development-focused projects are expected to contribute to E3SM's evolution by rigorously testing model behavior, identifying and diagnosing important biases, determining why those biases occur, and helping correct problems that materially affect the coupled system.

Does the FOA require projects to connect to existing DOE efforts?

Yes. The FOA supports new projects that connect directly with ongoing DOE efforts, either by collaborating with the E3SM project itself (under the Earth System Modeling activity) or by working with Science Focus Area analysis efforts associated with the Regional and Global Model Analysis (RGMA) activity.

Is the FOA only about analyzing model outputs, or can it fund model improvements?

It supports both. The FOA funds scientific analysis that uses E3SM outputs and also funds targeted development work that improves E3SM in ways that matter for coupled Earth system behavior.

How does the FOA relate to observations?

A key theme is that coupled Earth system simulations should be better constrained by real-world observations, and the FOA frames supported work as strengthening simulation credibility and informativeness in part through observational anchoring.

What is the funding mechanism and program category?

This opportunity is described as a discretionary grant in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, under CFDA 81.049, offered by the DOE Office of Science.

What is the listed closing date for this opportunity?

The original closing date listed in the provided information is March 21, 2018.

What is the award ceiling mentioned for this FOA?

The award ceiling stated in the provided information is $350,000.

Who is eligible to apply as a lead applicant?

Eligibility is described as broad for most applicant types, but there are notable exclusions. Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors, other federal agencies, and certain nonprofit organizations classified under section 501(c)(4) that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible to apply as lead applicants.

Can DOE national laboratories participate?

Yes. DOE national laboratories may participate as collaborators on a team, but they cannot serve as the lead applicant.

Can other federal agencies or their FFRDC contractors participate?

Yes. Other federal agencies and their FFRDC contractors may participate as collaborators on a team, but they cannot serve as the lead applicant.

How should teams be structured for this FOA?

The FOA clarifies that team members that are neither other federal agencies nor DOE national laboratories should be included as subawards under the lead applicant, rather than applying separately as independent co-leads.

What is the broader outcome DOE is seeking through this FOA?

The FOA is structured to expand the scientific and technical ecosystem around E3SM and to produce a more capable, better evaluated, and more trustworthy Earth system modeling framework. The intended outcome is improved ability to address large-scale, energy-relevant scientific questions using cutting-edge computing.

What is the timeline context for E3SM versions mentioned in the FOA?

The FOA notes E3SM version 1 (v1) being released in FY 2018, with versions v2 and v3 under development for release during FY 2021 through FY 2024. This signals interest in near-term science using the newly released model and in development work that influences future generations of the system.

Is E3SM required, or can other models be used?

E3SM is positioned as the primary model for supported work, and the FOA states it may be used by itself or alongside other advanced Earth system models.

What kinds of model-focused work are explicitly called out?

The FOA explicitly highlights advancing model design, evaluation, diagnosis, analysis, and improvement, including rigorous testing of model behavior, identification and diagnosis of biases, understanding the causes of those biases, and correcting issues that materially affect the coupled system.