Massively parallel implementation of the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model

Conference · Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:10115242

Foster, I; Michalakes, J

Parallel computing promises significant improvements in both the raw speed and cost performance of mesoscale atmospheric models. On distributed-memory massively parallel computers available today, the performance of a mesoscale model will exceed that of conventional supercomputers; on the teraflops machines expected within the next five years, performance will increase by several orders of magnitude. As a result, scientists will be able to consider larger problems, more complex model processes, and finer resolutions. In this paper. we report on a project at Argonne National Laboratory that will allow scientists to take advantage of parallel computing technology. This Massively Parallel Mesoscale Model (MPMM) will be functionally equivalent to the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM). In a prototype study, we produced a parallel version of MM4 using a static (compile-time) coarse-grained ``patch`` decomposition. This code achieves one-third the performance of a one-processor CRAY Y-MP on twelve Intel 1860 microprocessors. The current version of MPMM is based on all MM5 and uses a more fine-grained approach, decomposing the grid as finely as the mesh itself allows so that each horizontal grid cell is a parallel process. This will allow the code to utilize many hundreds of processors. A high-level language for expressing parallel programs is used to implement communication strearns between the processes in a way that permits dynamic remapping to the physical processors of a particular parallel computer. This facilitates load balancing, grid nesting, and coupling with graphical systems and other models.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 10115242
• Report Number(s): ANL/CP-77502; CONF-930133-6; ON: DE93004874
• Resource Relation: Conference: 73. American Meteorological Society (AMS) annual meeting,Anaheim, CA (United States),17-22 Jan 1993; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS
PARALLEL PROCESSING
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
ARRAY PROCESSORS
MESOSPHERE
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
PERFORMANCE
ITERATIVE METHODS
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
580000
990200
GEOSCIENCES
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS