Collaborative Research: Visualization, analysis, and HPC modeling of subglacial hydrology from high-resolution 3D conduit scans acquired with a novel sensor

该项目将研究控制流经北极冰川及其之下的水流的过程。冰川的水力特性是影响冰川在下伏岩石上滑动速度的主要因素。了解冰川下的流动对于开发准确预测冰川将如何应对气候变暖以及冰川将如何导致海平面上升的模型至关重要。为了推广和教育目的，该项目将开发一个关于冰川下管道的基于网络的交互式流体动力学教程。还将开发一个项目网站。该项目将通过支持一名研究生的培训和为三名初出茅庐的科学家提供部分支助，为劳动力发展作出贡献。这项研究将使用真实表面和网格边界对冰川下管道中的湍流进行三维计算流体动力学(CFD)大涡模拟(LES)。计算将使用3D高性能计算完成。管道的几何形状和粗糙度将基于一套独特的现场测量，使用改装的视频游戏控制器在毫米分辨率下对斯瓦尔巴群岛冰川进行测量。这一努力的结果是首次实现了对真实冰下管道的高分辨率可视化，并首次用真实的几何图形模拟了冰下LES。结果将与使用更标准的达西-魏斯巴赫或曼宁公式的模型输出进行比较。这项研究将对山区冰川和大冰盖(如格陵兰冰盖)的水文过程提供更好的见解。

This project will examine the processes controlling the flow of water through and beneath an Arctic glacier. The hydraulic properties of glaciers are a major factor influencing the rate at which glaciers slide on the underlying rock. Understanding subglacial flow is critical to developing models that accurately predict how glaciers will behave in response to warming climate and how glaciers will contribute to sea level rise. For outreach and educational purposes, the project will develop a web-based, interactive fluid dynamics tutorial concerning subglacial conduits. A project web site will also be developed. The project will contribute to workforce development by supporting the training of a graduate student and by providing partial support for three early-career scientists. This study will perform three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) large eddy simulations (LES) of turbulent flows in a subglacial conduit using realistic surfaces and mesh boundaries. The computations will be done using 3D high-performance computing. The conduit geometry and roughness will be based on a unique set of field measurements made on a Svalbard glacier using with a modified video-game controller at mm resolution. The result of this effort is a first-ever high resolution visualization of a real subglacial conduit and the first subglacial LES simulations with realistic geometry. Results will be compared with model output using the more standard Darcy-Weisbach or Manning formulations. The study will provide improved insights into hydrological processes in mountain glaciers and large ice sheets such as the Greenland Ice Sheet.