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The NUOPC Layer is an add-on to the standard ESMF library. It consists of generic code of two different kinds: {\em utility routines} and {\em generic components}. The NUOPC Layer further implements a dictionary for standard field metadata.

The utility routines are subroutines and functions that package frequently used calling sequences of ESMF methods into single calls. Unlike the pure ESMF API, which is very class centric, the utility routines of the NUOPC Layer often implement tasks that involve several ESMF classes.

The generic components are provided in form of Fortran modules that implement GridComp and CplComp specific methods. Generic components are useful when implementing NUOPC compliant driver, model, mediator, or connector components. The provided generic components form a hierarchy that allows the developer to pick and choose the appropriate level of specification for a certain application. Depending on how specific the chosen level, generic components require more or less specialization to result in fully implemented components.

