This project will support a workshop, to be held from August 16 to 18 at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, to bring together experts in computational space physics to address such questions as: - What are the key scientific areas in space physics where advanced computational capability is likely to produce transformational discoveries? - How do recent advances in numerical algorithms and high-performance computing enable us to address problems of critical importance to the Sun-Earth system? - How must our modus operandi change as space- and ground-based instruments produce ever more data and the requirements on instruments for our space missions grow in sophistication? - What are the ways in which interdisciplinary collaborations among the various subfields of space science will be enabled by advanced computing capabilities? What kinds of computer hardware and networking would best suit the needs of the space physics community? The Workshop Working Groups will address particular needs and opportunities in (1)Solar, (2)Interplanetary, (3)Magnetospheric, (4)Ionospheric-Thermospheric, and (5)Advanced Computation topics.
Computational modeling, simulation, and data assimilation have been among the most important drivers of scientific discovery during the last three decades. This progress has been enabled by remarkable leaps in computing technologies, producing parallel computers of great power and speed. It is reasonable to anticipate a near-future transition from the present-day terascale systems to the petascale and beyond. These advances are stimulating the development of novel algorithms and high-performance computing software by interdisciplinary teams of physical scientists, applied mathematicians and computer scientists. These tools present transformative possibilities for heliophysical science. They can be used in the design of flagship experiments and diagnostic instruments that explore new physical phenomena and as yet inaccessible physical domains and parameter ranges. Other such tools are critical in the efficient data assimilation and in the successful mining of very large data volumes assembled by current and near-future state-of-the-art observatories. The heliophysical science community is going through a phase of rapid and radical transformation with vast increases in the sophistication of instruments, data rates, archive volumes and usage, and is hampered in its progress by urgent needs for theoretical interpretations and predictions on complex, nonlinear systems of environments coupling the Sun’s deep interior to planetary climate systems: we are posing questions at a level of detail that cannot be resolved by incremental modifications to legacy computer simulation codes. The effectiveness of our community-wide theory, modeling, and data assimilation and analysis efforts depend critically on the development and use of innovative numerical algorithms and high-performance computing practices. A community-wide Workshop on Advanced Computational Capabilities for Exploration in Heliophysical Science (ACCEHS), was held August 16-18, 2010 in Boulder, Colorado at NCAR’s Mesa Lab. The Workshop website is www.hao.ucar.edu/ACCEHS/index.php
