The purpose of this workshop is to bring together solid-earth geoscientists, mathematicians, computational and computer scientists to focus on specific issues arising from a range of solid-Earth dynamics problems that have proven both difficult and critical for progress in studying and modeling the dynamics of the planet. These problems form the core activities for the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG) and provide new challenges and opportunities in multi-scale/multiphysics modeling and inference.
This workshop will focus on three related ?grand challenge problems? and their attendant mathematical/computational issues:
1. Mantle Convection and Lithospheric Deformation (large scale solid deformation with complex rheologies) 2. Magma Dynamics (multi-physics problems: Coupled fluid/solid flow in strongly deformable, reactive media) 3. Crustal Dynamics and the Earthquake Cycle (Multi-scale brittle mechanics and fault evolution) The geophysical models at the heart of this workshop are developed further below and provide a common set of mathematical and computational problems that are essential for studying coupled natural systems. These include linear and nonlinear solvers and pre-conditioners for coupled problems, multi-scale methods for systems with space-time localization, multi-scale material modeling, and data-assimilation and inversion for integrating observations and dynamics.
These problems complement, but have significant differences from other application areas such as subsurface flow or climate modeling. Thus a primary goal of this workshop is to foster new collaborations between solid Earth scientists, mathematicians, computer scientists, and computational scientists that can make significant progress on these critical problems. The proposed meeting format is two and a half days of talks and discussion that closely connect the Earth science applications and mathematical/computational problems and methods. In addition, the workshop will discuss critical issues in developing, disseminating and supporting advanced, collaborative modeling software for the general community, which is central to the CIG mission.
This workshop provides new opportunities for collaborative research for students, early career scientists and senior scientists across a range of disciplines. The focus on developing advanced computational methods and software for exploring coupled systems should be useful for a wide range of related problems including subsurface fluid flow, earthquake engineering and hazards.
