Join us for a colloquium with Dr. Russell Deitrick from the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Title: “Climate modeling fundamentals from the perspective of the THOR general circulation model”
Abstract: THOR is a fully global, non-hydrostatic GCM developed specifically for the study of exoplanets, and thus is free of Earth/Solar System hard-codings. In THOR, we utilize an icosahedral grid to solve common issues that appear at the poles in traditional grids. The model is coded for graphics processing units (GPUs)—super-computers in miniature—which allow it to be run on a single desktop computer. In this talk, I discuss some fundamentals of climate modeling, with special emphasis on the design and construction of THOR. These fundamentals include the choice of grid, the choice of fluid equations, radiative transfer, sub-grid physics, and the testing and benchmarking of the code. I will present results from THOR for terrestrial planets and hot Jupiters and discuss avenues of future development and application.

You can attend this event in-person in PAA 102 or via Zoom: washington.zoom.us…