National Center for Computational Sciences

Principal Investigator: Paola Cessi

Affiliation: University of California–San Diego

INCITE Allocation: 486,000 processor hours

Machine: Cray X1E

Allocation: 486,000 processor hours

Research Summary: This project will contribute to our understanding of the fundamental dynamics of ocean circulation driven by differences in the temperature and salinity of seawater. Using high-resolution models of the ocean component of the earth’s climate system, the researchers will examine processes that maintain the abyssal circulation of the ocean to understand its response to changes in atmospheric composition. Meridional overturning circulation—sometimes called the ocean conveyer belt—is an essential component of the ocean-atmosphere heat budget and a major player in sequestering carbon dioxide into the deep ocean. It mixes the world’s oceans and transports energy and matter around the globe.