The ARSC booth will feature demos of current projects underway at the center. Stop by and learn more about space weather prediction, or take a flight over the terrain of Alaska.

Demo Abstracts:

Electromagnetic Ray Tracing: Sergei Maurits and Jeff McAllister, ARSC; Brenton Watkins, Geophysical Institute
A real-time ionospheric model developed at UAF runs on the center's computers and can predict space weather conditions up to an hour in advance of the actual event. This high resolution model has been found useful in predicting significant deflections in electromagnetic waves, which could be of use to GPS and other locating technology.

Galaxy Formation: Jeff Gardner, University of Washington
Jeff Gardner and the N-Body group at the University of Washington have created a simulation methodology that, when combined with numerous algorithmic enhancements and the overall computational sophistication and scalability of their code, allows the researchers to achieve the maximal dynamic range necessary to model the (100 million light-year) environment surrounding a galaxy and still allocate 100,000 to 1 million resolution elements to the (10 thousand light-year) galaxy itself. Consequently, in tackling this problem, the researchers are providing the most realistic simulations of galaxy formation, evolution and interaction to date.

Juneau High Resolution Fly-By: Sergei Maurits and Scott Kircher, ARSC
Available high resolution data is included in sections of the NorthSTAAR aviation simulator. This particular section depicts the landing approach to the Juneau airport, as well as surrounding areas. Such visualizations may be used for exploration of resources and the study of potential transportation routes. In addition, this information is important to the safety of aircraft landings in difficult areas.

Kodiak Tsunami: Elena Suleimani, Geophysical Institute; Roger Edberg, ARSC
Researchers are using supercomputers to calculate the creation and propagation of tsunamis and create inundation maps from the data. Such maps can be used to explore the impact on coastal areas in the event of a tsunami. This animation shows the run-up of a tsunami that hit the coast of Alaska following an earthquake in 1964.

Gulf of Alaska: Kate Hedstrom and Bill Brody, ARSC
High performance computing resources are used to run ocean circulation models of Prince William Sound and Shelikof Strait. These models are being developed in collaboration with the UAF Institute for Marine Science. These high-resolution models, which can run at three kilometers per grid point, will eventually be useful for study of Alaska fisheries issues and making decisions such as the best responses to oil spills or other aquatic events in littoral regions.

Magnetosphere Dynamics: Daniel Swift, Geophysical Institute; Yu Lin Auburn University
Daniel Swift of the University of Alaska Fairbanks is collaborating with Yu Lin of Auburn University in Alabama to develop a two-dimensional model that will bring new insights into causes of auroral activation, known as the substorm. The code shows how events in space affect what we see from the ground. These simulations have shown how excitation of plasma instabilities about ten Earth radii from the Earth in the anti-solar direction generate filamentary currents that connect to the auroral zone ionosphere. Such filamentary currents are carried by energetic electrons that impact the upper atmosphere to produce auroral lights.

Global Carbon Dioxide: Bob Andres, University of Alaska
Bob Andres of the Institute of Northern Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks compiles and maintains the Oak Ridge National Laboratory database of global carbon dioxide production. This work aims to provide a accurate and unbiased data on carbon dioxide production due to fossil fuel consumption across the globe. This animation shows annual total carbon dioxide emissions in Europe from 1751 to 1996. The carbon dioxide data covers the globe in a grid of size 360x180 cells; each cell is 1 deg Latitude by 1 degree Longitude. The carbon dioxide grid overlays a spherical globe with outlines of the continents and oceans.

NorthSTAAR: Sergei Maurits and Scott Kircher, ARSC
The Northern Simulator of Terrain and Aviation Airspace Restrictions (NorthSTAAR) is a virtual flight simulator utilizing actual terrain data at application appropriate resolution for use by military and civilian pilots to improve safety in shared-use airspace and to more accurately familiarize new pilots with Alaska terrain. Available high resolution data is included in sections of the simulator and may be used for exploration of resources and study of potential transportation routes.