| Volume 12 Number 2 |
Winter 1995-96 |
What's Going On Down There?
Supercomputing and Real-Time Visualization:
Application to 3-D Modeling of Thermal Mantle Convection
| Shuxia Zhang, a post-doctoral Supercomputing Institute Research Scholar working with
Professor David Yuen's Geology and Geophysics research group, is using supercomputing
resources to perform large-scale numerical simulations in the study of variable physical
properties in mantle convection. The Earth's mantle forms the region between the
Earth's crust and core, from a depth of 40 km to 2890 km. Surface topography, tectonic
plate motions, volcanic activity, and earthquakes are some of the observable features
associated with the dynamical processes of mantle convection. Yuen's group is conducting very large simulations-the largest ever to be done for three-dimensional convection in the Earth's mantle. Their research is unique in that it incorporates variables such as lateral viscosity variations and mantle phase transitions (changes in density and heat release due to increased pressure and temperature). "What's Going on Down There?" continued
|
 3-D simultaneous rendering of upwelling plumes and viscous dissipation. The plume morphologies are indicated by the isosurface of T-0.5 and the viscous dissipation is indicated by the color variations from red for strong, to blue for weak. Results are from a compressible convection model with a Rayleigh number of 107, dissipation number of 0.5, and Clapeyron slope of -3 MPa/K at a depth of 660 km, and time of 2.3 billion years. |
Research Bulletins
Information about Research Programs and Reports
| What's Going on Down There? continued These variables are the most fundamental parameters characterizing mantle dynamics and also the most difficult ones and also the most difficult ones to incorporate into the three-dimensional model. Zhang's use of spherical geometries combined with these variables is resulting in highly representative simulations. |
large scale solutions of transient systems. This software has been designed specifically for co-processing visualization of data generated in a distributed computing environment. It is also designed to allow the solver to run as independently as possible. If the solution procedure takes a long time (hours or days), pV3 can'plug into' the calculation, allowing viewing of the data as it changes. It can then 'unplug' with the worst side effect | being the temporary allocation of memory and a possible load imbalance. Figure 1 and the figure below are real-time displays created while the University of Minnesota-IBM Shared Research Project IBM Cluster was performing the mantle convection computations. For more information on research involving the IBM Cluster and the University of Minnesota-IBM Shared Research Project, view the IBM-SUR article in this Research Bulletin. |
| Real-TimeVisualization Zhang, together with Kirk Jordan of IBM Corporation, and other members of Yuen's research group are able to use real-time visualization to resolve some of the problems associated with post-processing visualization of 3-D mantle convection. For example, real-time visualization reduces need for the large amount of disk space required to store huge amounts of output, and simplifies the monitoring of complicated dynamical processes in both spatial and temporal domains. Their use of pV3-the newest in a series of graphics and visualization tools to come out of the department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology-allows the real-time visualization of 3-D |
 |
| Simultaneous display, in one window, of 3-D isosurface, 2-D, and 1-D structures at the critical time during simulation. The two-dimensional structure is determined by the cutting plane, which can be easily panned, scrolled, and zoomed on the screen. The one-dimensional plot is determined by a cutting line which can be put in any part of the two-dimensional section. |
Supercomputing Institute Research Bulletin Vol. 12 No. 2 Winter 1995-1996 Articles:
IBM-SUR Project / Upcoming
Symposia / Seminar Synopses / Research
Reports
