Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
Encyclopedia
The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) is a laboratory in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
(OAR). The current director is Dr. V. Ramaswamy.
GFDL is engaged in comprehensive long lead-time research to expand the scientific understanding of the physical processes that govern the behavior of the atmosphere
and the ocean
s as complex fluid systems
. These systems can then be modeled mathematically and their phenomenology can be studied by computer simulation methods.
GFDL's accomplishments include the development of the first climate models to study global warming, the first comprehensive ocean prediction codes, and the first dynamical models with significant skill in hurricane track and intensity predictions. Much current research within the laboratory is focused around the development of Earth System Models for assessment of natural and human-induced climate change.
This group focuses on processes that affect the vertical structure of the atmosphere, such as convection and radiation. A particular focus is the role of aerosols in climate, both through direct effects on the radiative balance, and indirect effects on cloud physics.
This group focuses on interactions between the physical climate
and biogeochemical systems, both in the land and ocean. Development of GFDL's Earth System Model is centered in this group.
This group focuses on comparing models with observations, developing observational datasets that can be compared with models, and using models to isolate key processes that regulate interannual variability in the ocean and atmosphere.
The largest group in the lab centers around the development
of numerical models for predictions and projections of climate
on seasonal-to-centennial time scales. Major projects include the development of El Nino predictions for seasonal forecasting, and the production of IPCC-class climate models.
This group focuses on the role played by the oceans in the large-scale climate system, and on developing state-of-the-art numerical codes to simulate the ocean.
This group focuses on the dynamics of the atmosphere, with particular emphasis on the interactions between waves and turbulence and the large-scale flow. Development of GFDL's hurricane model is supported from this group.
's Forrestal Campus in Princeton, NJ.
Since March 2011, the GFDL no longer possesses an on-site supercomputer
. They instead utilize a massively parallel
Cray
supercomputer with over 30,000 processor cores which is currently located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
in Oak Ridge
, Tennessee
. This contrasts from their previous systems architecture, which consisted of eight SGI
Altix
computers, each housing 1024 processor cores.
Hardware updates occur on average, every 18 months.
The GFDL has been utilizing High Performance Computing Systems for Numerical Modeling since the 1950s.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
(NOAA)/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . OAR is also referred to as NOAA Research....
(OAR). The current director is Dr. V. Ramaswamy.
GFDL is engaged in comprehensive long lead-time research to expand the scientific understanding of the physical processes that govern the behavior of the atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
and the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s as complex fluid systems
Fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the study of fluids and the forces on them. Fluid mechanics can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; fluid kinematics, the study of fluids in motion; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion...
. These systems can then be modeled mathematically and their phenomenology can be studied by computer simulation methods.
GFDL's accomplishments include the development of the first climate models to study global warming, the first comprehensive ocean prediction codes, and the first dynamical models with significant skill in hurricane track and intensity predictions. Much current research within the laboratory is focused around the development of Earth System Models for assessment of natural and human-induced climate change.
Major Accomplishments
- The first global numerical simulations of the atmosphere — defining the basic structure of the numerical weather prediction and climate models that are still in use today throughout the world.
- The first numerical simulation of the world ocean.
- The initial definition and further elaborations of many of the central issues in global warming research, including water vapor feedback, polar amplification of temperature change, summer mid-continental dryness and cloud feedback.
- The first coupled atmosphere-ocean climate models and the first simulations of global warming using these models (including the above feedback processes and the potential weakening of the Atlantic overturning circulation).
- The development of a state-of-art hurricane model and its transfer to operations in the NOAA National Weather Service and the Navy.
Scientific Groups
The GFDL has a diverse community of about 300 researchers, collaborators and staff, with many from Britain, India, China, Japan, France, etc. The laboratory is currently organized into several scientific groups (listed alphabetically below) as well as a large computer support group.Atmospheric Physics, Chemistry and Climate
Current head: Dr. Hiram Levy IIThis group focuses on processes that affect the vertical structure of the atmosphere, such as convection and radiation. A particular focus is the role of aerosols in climate, both through direct effects on the radiative balance, and indirect effects on cloud physics.
Climate and Ecosystems
Current head: Ron StoufferThis group focuses on interactions between the physical climate
and biogeochemical systems, both in the land and ocean. Development of GFDL's Earth System Model is centered in this group.
Climate Diagnostics
Current head: Dr. Ngar-Chung (Gabriel) LauThis group focuses on comparing models with observations, developing observational datasets that can be compared with models, and using models to isolate key processes that regulate interannual variability in the ocean and atmosphere.
Climate Change, Variability and Prediction
Current head: Dr. Tom DelworthThe largest group in the lab centers around the development
of numerical models for predictions and projections of climate
on seasonal-to-centennial time scales. Major projects include the development of El Nino predictions for seasonal forecasting, and the production of IPCC-class climate models.
Oceans and Climate
Current head: Dr. Robert HallbergThis group focuses on the role played by the oceans in the large-scale climate system, and on developing state-of-the-art numerical codes to simulate the ocean.
Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics
Current head: Dr. Isaac HeldIsaac Held
Isaac Held is an American meteorologist. He is currently head of the Weatherand Atmospheric Dynamics Group at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.Held was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 2003.-Biography:...
This group focuses on the dynamics of the atmosphere, with particular emphasis on the interactions between waves and turbulence and the large-scale flow. Development of GFDL's hurricane model is supported from this group.
Facilities
The GFDL is located at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
's Forrestal Campus in Princeton, NJ.
Since March 2011, the GFDL no longer possesses an on-site supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
. They instead utilize a massively parallel
Massively parallel
Massively parallel is a description which appears in computer science, life sciences, medical diagnostics, and other fields.A massively parallel computer is a distributed memory computer system which consists of many individual nodes, each of which is essentially an independent computer in itself,...
Cray
Cray
Cray Inc. is an American supercomputer manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. The company's predecessor, Cray Research, Inc. , was founded in 1972 by computer designer Seymour Cray. Seymour Cray went on to form the spin-off Cray Computer Corporation , in 1989, which went bankrupt in 1995,...
supercomputer with over 30,000 processor cores which is currently located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
in Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. This contrasts from their previous systems architecture, which consisted of eight SGI
SGI
SGI may refer to:*Saskatchewan Government Insurance, a provincial Crown corporation that has been developed over the years into two linked operations* Scientific Games International: see Scientific Games Corporation...
Altix
Altix
Altix is a line of servers and supercomputers produced by Silicon Graphics , based on Intel processors. It succeeded the MIPS/IRIX-based Origin 3000 servers....
computers, each housing 1024 processor cores.
Hardware updates occur on average, every 18 months.
The GFDL has been utilizing High Performance Computing Systems for Numerical Modeling since the 1950s.
Alumni
- Joseph SmagorinskyJoseph SmagorinskyJoseph Smagorinsky was an American meteorologist and the first director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.- Early life :...
: GFDL's first director - Jerry MahlmanJerry Mahlman-Biography:Mahlman received his undergraduate degree from Chadron State College in 1962 and his Ph.D. from Colorado State University in 1967. From 1970 until 2000 he worked at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at Princeton, serving as...
: GFDL's second director - Ants Leetmaa: GFDL's third director
- Kirk Bryan (American Oceanographer)
- Syukoro Manabe
- Yoshio Kurihara
External links
- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
- NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
- Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
- NOAA GFDL ranking among the Top 500 Supercomputer Sites
- http://www.ncrc.gov/