PARALLEL
AND DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING AND ITS APPLICATION TO CHEMICAL
WEATHER FORECAST AND CLIMATE IN CHILE
APPLIED RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR FONDEF
RATIONALE
Here we propose a technology transfer and capacity building effort that connects front
line research and scientific networks with the development and implementation of badly
needed services and data within the Chilean State apparatus, specifically, the Chilean
Weather Office. Technology aspects refer to increased computer power for both the
Chilean Weather Office and Academia by means of the implementation of parallel and
distributed computing techniques for weather and climate applications, and the
interconnection of available capabilities (clusters), both in Chile and elsewhere in South
America, North America and Europe. Capacity building refers to training activities,
ranging from short term stays of professional staff to doctoral theses in atmospheric
science, applied mathematics, computer science, etc.., all of them linked to two
applications. One refers to the production of high-resolution (spatial and temporal)
climate scenarios, i.e., data which is crucial for risk assessment, vulnerability and
adaptation studies, etc.. The other refers to the implementation of a new service, namely
operational numerical chemical weather forecast at the Chilean Weather Office. Such
tools and data are required for environmental management and risk assessments human,
ecological and agricultural impacts.
BACKGROUND
Over the last 10 to 15 years, Chile has faced an unprecedented economical growth and
development. On the one hand, this has lead to fast technological advances in
telecommunications and, at large, information technology. On the other hand, the
answers and actions required to make this development environmentally sustainable
have become more complex and demanding. In particular, sophisticated environmental
systems for weather and climate prediction, including biogeochemical aspects, are
needed and requested from policy makers, industry, the public, etc.. These systems are
required to address key-issues such as future availability of water resources for human
consumption and energy production, air pollution potential and health risks in growing
urban centers, etc. The Chilean Weather Service is the primary State Institution
expected to provide, use and maintain such systems. However, available human
resources are at the moment insufficient to live up to those expectations. Moreover,
informatic resources, altough increasingly available are typically utilized in a subefficient manner and are difficult to maintain up dated. Also the Chilean scientific
community working on climate and weather, in order to be competetive and
participative in nowadyas science requires of a strengthening of its human capabilities,
and of a far more efficient use of computer and communication resources. All in all, in
our opinion there is a clear need of strengthening human capabilities, particularly but
not solely at the Chilean Weather Office, and to ensure a more efficient and flexible use
of nowadays informatic and communication technologies, particularly within the
framework of international scientific collaboration, and globalization.
Themes to deal with {What is it all about? State of the art and the science? Why doing it
in Chile?, What has been done in Chile, what hasn’t?}:
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Parallel and distributed computing, networks and communication (Jo, Gonzalo)
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Adaptative grids over complex topography /for non-linear processes (Nancy,
Luis)
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Climate and chemical weather forecast (LGK, Jorge, Enrique, Juan, Ricardo,
Maisa, Rodrigo)
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Dynamical vs. statistical downscaling of climate scenarios (Maisa, LGK)
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Emission inventories and emission scenarios for anthropogenic and natural
sources (Mauricio, Roberto)
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Exchange of tracers between the ocean and the atmosphere (DMS, etc) (Rodrigo)
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Data assimilation and large, dynamic data bases (Jaime, Axel, Germán, LGK,
COMPUTINES TODOS!!)
OBJECTIVES
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To transfer and establish front line parallel and distributed computing
technology for chemical weather forecast and climate in Chile both for scientific
and operational use
To increase the critical mass of professionals and scientists in the areas of
parallel computing, climate, and chemical weather forecast
COMPLETAR TODOS!!!
2.9 OBJETIVOS ESPECIFICOS
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Design of cluster/communication network for optimal use of available resources
(clusters, networks+ models)??
Parallelization of some un-parallelized models (e.g., POLAIR)
Data mining….structure and use large-data bases (e.g., satellites) for on-line data
assimilation
Implementation of flexible/adaptative grids for more accurate calculation…???
COMPUTINES TODOS!!!
To provide accurate regional emissions and climate change scenarios for Chile,
with emphasis on the evolution of air quality in large urban centers, and on the
impacts of anthropogrnic and natural emissions on the extensive stratocumulus
deck off the coas over Central and Northern Chile
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To establish operational chemical weather forecast for Chile, particularly for
urban centers (e.g., La Serena –Coquimbo, Santiago, Temuco, etc.).
To establish active research networks with leading centers, particularly in South
America, functional to Earth System Modeling.
COMPLETAR TODOS!!!
APPROACH
The idea is to combine available resources and capabilities to reach the objectives, ie.,
CMM/DIM resources and capabilities
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CLARIS network…through thios we will get global and regional climate
scenarios which will provide boundary cpnditions for down-scaling applications
Dispersion model, MATCH
Regional Climate Model, RCAO
CONICYT-INRIA collaborations, POLAIR model (optmized for chemical
weather forecast)
Cluster …ca. 30 processors, 1 TB storage….etc…part of it with SCALI like
technology
Participant of PRAGMA
Connection and collaboration with CPTEC
Etc. etc etc
DCC resources and capabilities
DIMEC resources and capabilities
DMC resources and capabilities
By means of:
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Sharing/combining/communicating clusters
Improving codes (discretization, parallelization) and “modulzarization of
models”
Designing data structures for on-line processing of humangous databases (i.e,
satellite derived information)
Down-scaling of climate scenarios
Emission and emission scenario building
Testing ocean-atmosphere transfer parameterizations
Quantifying aerosol-cloud-climate interactions (SOx-Sc)
Implementing operational chemical weather forecast
Producing:
 New climate scenarios and data
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New service (chemical weather forecast)
Increased human resources, professional and scientific
More efficient use of available computer and communication resources
PARTICIPANTS
Chilean counterparts
U. de Chile, Fac. Cs. FCFM
CMM
 LGK…modelación atmosférica regional, química atmosférica
 Axel Osses…Control óptimo y ecs. Diferenciales (mod. Inv y asimilación de
datos)
 Jaime Ortega …Control óptimo y ecs. Diferenciales (mod. Inv y asimilación
de datos)
 Gonzalo Hernández (también U Santa María)…Cálculo distribuído y
paralelo…
DCC
 Jo(sé) M. Piquer…paralelización
 Luis Mateu….paralelización/mallas geométricas
 Nancy Hitschfeld …mallas geométricas/ diseño orientado a objeto
DIMEC
 Mauricio Osses …emisiones de fuentes móviles
 Roberto Corvalán…emisiones de fuentes fijas
 ¿hay alguien que pueda hacer biogénicas?
DMC
 Jorge Carrasco, climatología –estadística
 Juan Quintana , climatología –estadística
 Enrique Garrido, pronóstico meteorológico
 Ricardo Alcafuz, pronóstico meteorológico
Además:
Rodrigo Torres, oceanógrafo químico (PhD) con pertenencia parcial en FONDAP de
Oceanografía (COPAS)…
Maisa Rojas, modeladora (PhD) , dinámica atmosférica…la única con experiencia de
simulaciones acopladas y climáticas. La intención es que se incorpore al CMM en
calidad de post-doc …
Foreign counterparts
Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos (CPTEC), Brazil
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-Ham), Germany
Ecole Nationale de Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC), France
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET EN
AUTOMATIQUE (INRIA), France
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Suecia {Rossby Centre?}
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University (MISU), Suecia
Laboratoire d’Optique Atmosphérique, LOA, Francia
Grupo de Análisis Numérico y Computación, Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y
Física - Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina
COST ESTIMATE AND CONTRIBUTIONS
REFERENCES