The PRISM software framework and the OASIS coupler

Abstract The increasing complexity of Earth system models (ESMs) and computing facilities puts a heavy technical burden on the research teams active in climate modelling. PRISM provides the Earth System Modelling community with a forum to promote sharing of development, maintenance and support of standards and software tools used to assemble, run, and analyse ESMs based on state-of-the-art component models (ocean, atmosphere, land surface, etc..) developed in the different climate research centres in Europe and elsewhere. PRISM is organised as a distributed network of experts who contribute to five "PRISM Areas of Expertise" (PAE): 1) Code coupling and I/O, 2) Integration and modelling environments, 3) Data processing, visualisation and management, 4) Meta-data, and 5) Computing. For example, the PAE “Code coupling and I/O” develops and supports the OASIS coupler, a software allowing synchronised exchanges of coupling information between numerical codes representing different components of the climate system. OASIS successfully demonstrates shared software, capitalising about 25 person-years of mutual developments and fulfilling the coupling needs of about 15 climate research groups around the world.