The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
(GFDL) is a laboratory in the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office
of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).
The current director is Dr. Venkatachalam
Ramaswamy.
It is one of seven NOAA Research Laboratories
(RLs).GFDL is engaged in comprehensive long
lead-time research to expand the scientific
understanding of the physical processes that
govern the behavior of the atmosphere and
the oceans as complex fluid systems.
These systems can then be modeled mathematically
and their phenomenology can be studied by
computer simulation methods.
GFDL's accomplishments include the development
of the first climate models to study global
warming, the first comprehensive ocean prediction
codes, and the first dynamical models with
significant skill in hurricane track and intensity
predictions.
Much current research within the laboratory
is focused around the development of Earth
System Models for assessment of natural and
human-induced climate change.
== Major accomplishments ==
The first global numerical simulations of
the atmosphere — defining the basic structure
of the numerical weather prediction and climate
models that are still in use today throughout
the world.
The first numerical simulation of the world
ocean.
The initial definition and further elaborations
of many of the central issues in global warming
research, including water vapor feedback,
polar amplification of temperature change,
summer mid-continental dryness and cloud feedback.
The first coupled atmosphere-ocean climate
models and the first simulations of global
warming using these models (including the
above feedback processes and the potential
weakening of the Atlantic overturning circulation).
The development of a state-of-art hurricane
model and its transfer to operations in the
NOAA National Weather Service and the Navy.
== Scientific groups ==
The GFDL has a diverse community of about
300 researchers, collaborators and staff,
with many from Britain, India, China, Japan,
France, etc.
The laboratory is currently organized into
several scientific groups (listed alphabetically
below) as well as a large computer support
group.
=== Atmospheric physics, chemistry and climate
===
Current head: Dr. Hiram Levy II
This group focuses on processes that affect
the vertical structure of the atmosphere,
such as convection and radiation.
A particular focus is the role of aerosols
in climate, both through direct effects on
the radiative balance, and indirect effects
on cloud physics.
=== Climate and ecosystems ===
Current head: Ron Stouffer
This group focuses on interactions between
the physical climate
and biogeochemical systems, both in the land
and ocean.
Development of GFDL's Earth System Model is
centered in this group.
=== Climate diagnostics ===
Current head: Dr. Ngar-Chung (Gabriel) Lau
This group focuses on comparing models with
observations, developing observational datasets
that can be compared with models, and using
models to isolate key processes that regulate
interannual variability in the ocean and atmosphere.
=== Climate change, variability and prediction
===
Current head: Dr. Tom Delworth
The largest group in the lab centers on the
development
of numerical models for predictions and projections
of climate
on seasonal-to-centennial time scales.
Major projects include the development of
El Nino predictions for seasonal forecasting,
and the production of IPCC-class climate models.
=== Oceans and climate ===
Current head: Dr. Robert Hallberg
This group focuses on the role played by the
oceans in the large-scale climate system,
and on developing state-of-the-art numerical
codes to simulate the ocean.
=== Weather and atmospheric dynamics ===
Current head: Dr. Isaac Held
This group focuses on the dynamics of the
atmosphere, with particular emphasis on the
interactions between waves and turbulence
and the large-scale flow.
Development of GFDL's hurricane model is supported
from this group.
== Facilities ==
The GFDL is located at Princeton University's
Forrestal Campus in Princeton, NJ.
Since March 2011, the GFDL no longer possesses
an on-site supercomputer.
They instead utilize a massively parallel
Cray supercomputer with over 30,000 processor
cores which is currently located at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
This contrasts from their previous systems
architecture, which consisted of eight Silicon
Graphics Altix computers, each housing 1024
processor cores.
Hardware updates occur on average, every 18
months.
The GFDL has been using high-performance computing
systems to perform numerical modeling since
the 1950s.
== Alumni ==
Joseph Smagorinsky: GFDL's first director
Jerry Mahlman: GFDL's second director
Ants Leetmaa: GFDL's third director
Kirk Bryan (American Oceanographer)
Syukoro Manabe
Yoshio Kurihara
== See also ==
Modular Ocean Model
GFDL CM2.X
