The Community Earth System Model and the Future of Earth System Modeling

Dr. David Lawrence

Chief Scientist of the Community Earth System Model

National Center for Atmospheric Research

Monday November 16, 2026, 2 PM ET

Abstract:

The Community Earth System Model (CESM) and Earth system models in general are evolving in response to emerging scientific priorities, growing societal demands for actionable climate information, especially related to risks from changes in extreme events, and transformative changes in computing technologies. This presentation will provide an overview of recent CESM development activities emphasizing evolving Earth system capabilities, and new approaches for accelerating model development and deployment. Meeting the evolving needs from ESMs requires advances in both scientific realism and computational capability, including movement toward high-resolution (10–25 km) and ultra-high-resolution (km-scale) modeling configurations, more seamless prediction systems spanning subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S), seasonal-to-decadal (S2D), and multidecadal climate projections, and exploiting AI through hybrid Machine Learning / Physics model versions and flexibly coupled emulators. The talk will discuss CESM progress in these realms and plans for the future.

Biosketch:

David Lawrence is a Senior Scientist at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).  His work centers on Earth system modeling, with an emphasis on terrestrial processes and their interactions with climate, including permafrost–carbon feedbacks, land–atmosphere coupling, hydrology, and land-use change impacts all aimed at improving the realism and predictive capability of Earth system models. He currently serves as Chief Scientist of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and is leading the CESM team towards CESM3 and other developments.  He also played a central role in the development of multiple generations of the Community Land Model (CLM).  He is co-lead of the Land Use Model Intercomparison Project (LUMIP) and serves as the Model Development Liaison for the NSF Learning the Earth with Artificial intelligence and Physics (LEAP) project, an effort to exploit artificial intelligence to improve Earth System models.

Zoom Information

Event site: https://go.umd.edu/lawrence

Zoom Webinar: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminarwebinars

Zoom Meeting ID: 971 2692 9944
Zoom password: essic

US Toll: 13017158592
Global call-in numbers: https://umd.zoom.us/u/aMElEpvNu

Resources:

Seminar schedule & archive: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminar

Seminar Google calendar: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminarcalendar

Seminar recordings on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ESSICUMD

For IT assistance: Cazzy Medley: cazzy@umd.edu