jgfs_atmos_prep.ecf (GFS v17)

Branch / tenant: dev/gfs.v17 (gw_v17) Path: ecf/scripts/gfs/prep/atmos/jgfs_atmos_prep.ecf Analysis date: 2026-06-11

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Summary

jgfs_atmos_prep.ecf is the NCO production ecFlow task that performs atmospheric observation preparation (PREP) — decoding, quality-controlling, and formatting raw observational data (conventional, satellite, radar) into the prepBUFR/BUFR format needed by the GSI analysis. It calls the Rocoto job card prep.sh directly (not a J-Job in dev/jobs/).

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1. Resources & Configuration

Field	Value
PBS resources	3 nodes, 5 mpiprocs/node, 480 GB/node, exclusive host, 30-min wall
Modules	load_modules.sh run
Job call	${HOMEgfs}/dev/job_cards/rocoto/prep.sh (Rocoto card, NOT a standard J-Job)

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2. v17-specific notes

• Calls Rocoto job card directly: unlike most v17 ECF scripts that call ${HOMEgfs}/jobs/J*, this one invokes dev/job_cards/rocoto/prep.sh. This may indicate the prep system has not been fully migrated to the J-Job pattern.
• High memory: 480 GB per node for observation processing (large BUFR datasets).
• 3 nodes: parallel observation decoding across data sources.
• Pre-analysis: PREP must complete before the GSI atmospheric analysis can run.
• CRITICAL on critical path: the analysis chain starts with prep.

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3. Change-impact snapshot

Symbol	Risk	Notes
prep.sh	HIGH	Upstream of all atmospheric data assimilation

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Sources

• On-disk v17: ecf/scripts/gfs/prep/atmos/jgfs_atmos_prep.ecf.