Acquisition of a High-Performance Computing Cluster for the Penn State "Earth System Science Center (ESSC)"

宾夕法尼亚州立大学地球系统科学中心（ESSC）（www.essc.psu.edu）最初于1986年在地球和矿物科学学院内成立。ESSC的使命是描述、模拟和理解地球气候，其研究方法包括（i）多层次的气候模拟方法，（ii）使用长期、高分辨率的气候模式集成实验，（iii）强调“面向过程”的研究，以连接多个时间尺度，（iv）综合建模、经验分析、和基本过程的研究。ESSC还旨在促进EESI和EMS各部门的科学家（教师，学生和工作人员）之间的互动，并为宾夕法尼亚州立大学附属于该中心的学生和研究人员提供教育机会和计算资源。凭借在地球化学、地质学、冰科学、气候学和天气现象的气候敏感性以及气候建模等领域的专业知识，以及M。曼恩，ESSC有一个世界级的气候和古气候研究中心所需的基本成分。然而，近年来缺乏的是满足ESSC研究目标所需的计算资源。这些需求现在可以通过NSF EQUIPMENT/IF计划响应我们2005年提交的提案提供的赠款来满足。这笔赠款将使ESSC能够购买一个高性能的Linux计算集群。根据ESSC人员之前的基准测试，该计算集群将适合该中心使用的许多计算密集型数值模型，提供MPI和Open-MP并行化，并且速度比宾夕法尼亚州立大学EESI Cray大幅提高，该模型正在逐步淘汰。***

EAR-0548962MannThe Penn State Earth System Science Center or "ESSC" (www.essc.psu.edu) was originally founded within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences in 1986. The ESSC maintains a mission to describe, model, and understand the Earth's climate based on a research approach that involves (i) a multi-tiered approach to climate modeling, (ii) the use of long-term, high resolution climate model integration experiments, (iii) an emphasis on "process oriented" studies to bridge multiple timescales, and (iv) the synthethis of modeling, empirical analyses, and studies of fundamental processes. The ESSC also seeks to promote interaction among scientists (faculty, students, and staff) within the various departments of EESI and EMS, and to provide educational opportunities and computational resources to both students and researchers at Penn State affiliated with the center. With expertise in the areas of geochemistry, geology, ice science, climatology and climate sensitivities of weather phenomena, and climate modeling, and new leadership by Director M. Mann, the ESSC has the basic ingredients required for a world-class center for the study of climate and paleoclimate. What has been lacking in recent years, however, are the computational resources required to meet ESSC research goals. Such needs can now be met with the grant provided by the NSF EAR/IF program in response to our proposal submitted in 2005. This grant will allow the ESSC to purchase a high-performance Linux computing cluster. Based on previous benchmarking by ESSC personnel, this computing cluster will be suitable for many of the computationally intensive numerical models to be used in the center, providing both MPI and Open-MP parallelization, and substantial increases in speed over the Penn State EESI Cray, which is in the process of being phased out. ***