Ji Zhongzhen

Initialization and simulation of a typhoon using 4-dimensional variational data assimilation — Research on typhoon Herb (1996)

The MM5 and its four dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-Var) system are used in this paper. Based on the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data, the authors generate an optimal initial condition for a typhoon by using the bogus data assimilation (BDA) scheme. BDA is able to recover many of the structural features of typhoons including a warm-core vertex, the correct center position, and the strong circulation. As a result of BDA using a bogus surface low, dramatic improvement is achieved in the 72 h prediction of typhoon Herb. Through several cases, the initialization by BDA effectively generates the harmonious inner structure of the typhoon, but which is lacking in the original analysis field. Therefore the intensity forecast is improved greatly. Some improvements are made in the track forecast, but more work still needs to be done.

Parallel Computing of a Variational Data Assimilation Model for GPS/MET Observation Using the Ray-Tracing Method

The Spectral Statistical Interpolation (SSI) analysis system of NCEP is used to assimilate meteorological data from the Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS/MET) refraction angles with the variational technique. Verified by radiosonde, including GPS/MET observations into the analysis makes an overall improvement to the analysis variables of temperature, winds, and water vapor. However, the variational model with the ray-tracing method is quite expensive for numerical weather prediction and climate research. For example, about 4 000 GPS/MET refraction angles need to be assimilated to produce an ideal global analysis. Just one iteration of minimization will take more than 24 hours CPU time on the NCEP’s Cray C90 computer. Although efforts have been taken to reduce the computational cost, it is still prohibitive for operational data assimilation. In this paper, a parallel version of the three-dimensional variational data assimilation model of GPS/MET occultation measurement suitable for massive parallel processors architectures is developed. The divide-and-conquer strategy is used to achieve parallelism and is implemented by message passing. The authors present the principles for the code’s design and examine the performance on the state-of-the-art parallel computers in China. The results show that this parallel model scales favorably as the number of processors is increased. With the Memory-IO technique implemented by the author, the wall clock time per iteration used for assimilating 1420 refraction angles is reduced from 45 s to 12 s using 1420 processors. This suggests that the new parallelized code has the potential to be useful in numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate studies.The Spectral Statistical Interpolation (SSI) analysis system of NCEP is used to assimilate meteorological data from the Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS/MET) refraction angles with the variational technique. Verified by radiosonde, including GPS/MET observations into the analysis makes an overall improvement to the analysis variables of temperature, winds, and water vapor. However, the variational model with the ray-tracing method is quite expensive for numerical weather prediction and climate research. For example, about 4 000 GPS/MET refraction angles need to be assimilated to produce an ideal global analysis. Just one iteration of minimization will take more than 24 hours CPU time on the NCEP’s Cray C90 computer. Although efforts have been taken to reduce the computational cost, it is still prohibitive for operational data assimilation. In this paper, a parallel version of the three-dimensional variational data assimilation model of GPS/MET occultation measurement suitable for massive parallel processors architectures is developed. The divide-and-conquer strategy is used to achieve parallelism and is implemented by message passing. The authors present the principles for the code’s design and examine the performance on the state-of-the-art parallel computers in China. The results show that this parallel model scales favorably as the number of processors is increased. With the Memory-IO technique implemented by the author, the wall clock time per iteration used for assimilating 1420 refraction angles is reduced from 45 s to 12 s using 1420 processors. This suggests that the new parallelized code has the potential to be useful in numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate studies.

Lattice Boltzmann Numerical Simulation of a Circular Cylinder

The lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) model based on the Boltzmann equation is suitable for the numerical simulation of various flow fields. The fluid dynamics equation can be recovered from the LBE model. However, compared to the Navier-Stokes transport equation, the fluid dynamics equation derived from the LBE model is somewhat different in the viscosity transport term, which contains not only the Navier-Stokes transport equation but also nonsteady pressure and momentum flux terms. The two nonsteady terms can produce the same function as the random stirring force term introduced in the direct numerical or large-eddy vortex simulation of turbulence. Through computation of a circular cylinder, it is verified that the influence of the two nonsteady terms on flow field stability cannot be ignored, which is helpful for the study of turbulence.

SOME PROGRESS IN THE LATTICE BOLTZMANN MODEL

A lattice Boltzmann equation model has been developed by using the equilibrium distribution function of the Maxwell-Boltzmann-like form, which is third order in fluid velocity uα. The criteria of energy conservation between the macroscopic physical quantities and the microscopic particles are introduced into the model, thus the thermal hydrodynamic equations containing the effect of buoyancy force can be recovered in terms of the Taylor and Chapman-Enskog asymptotic expansion methods. The two-dimensional thermal convection phenomena in a square cavity and between two concentric cylinders have been calculated by implementing a heat flux boundary condition. Both numerical results are in good agreement with the conventional numerical results.

A class of explicit forward time-difference square conservative schemes

In the present paper, a class of explicit forward time-difference schemes are established from a geometric view with strict analytical deductions. This class includes the schemes with a constant time interval and with adjustable time intervals, which is proved to be effective and remarkably time-saving in numerical tests and applications.

An improved splitting method

In this paper, an improved splitting method, based on the completely square-conservative explicit difference schemes, is established. Not only can the time-direction precision of this method be higher than that of the traditional splitting methods but also can the physical feature of mutual dependence of the fast and the slow stages that are calculated separately and splittingly be kept as well. Moreover, the method owns an universality, it can be generalized to other square-conservative difference schemes, such as the implicit and complete ones and the explicit and instantaneous ones. Good time benefits can be acquired when it is applied in the numerical simulations of the monthly mean currents of the South China Sea.

Heat Flux Boundary Conditions for a Lattice Boltzmann Equation Model

A method simplifying the external force term for the Boltzmann equation is proposed, using the Chapman-Enskog asymptotic expansion technique. The relationship between the perturbation strength parameter and the Grashof number is presented. A heat flux boundary condition for the temperature field simulation is developed according to the transforming relations between the cold and hot particles on the boundary wall. The effects of buoyant force and the heat flux boundary condition are implemented with the two-particle systems of D2Q9 and D3Q15, and the numerical results agree well with the experimental result of silicone oil.

Lattice Boltzmann Model and Geophysical Hydrodynamic Equation

A lattice Boltzmann equation model in a rotating system is developed by introducing the Coriolis force effect. The geophysical hydrodynamic equation can be derived from this model. Numerical computations are performed to simulate the cylindrical annulus experiment and Benard convection. The numerical results have shown the flow behaviour of large-scale geostrophic current and Benard convection cells, which verifies the applicability of this model to both theory and experiment.

Corrections to the collision term in the BGK Boltzmann equation

With the discrete method of the hexagonal cell and three different velocities of particle population in each cell, a two-dimensional lattice Boltzmann model is developed in this paper. The collision operator in the Boltzmann equation is expanded to fourth order using the Taylor expansion. With this model, good results have been obtained from the numerical simulation of the reflection phenomenon of the shock wave on the surface of an obstacle and the numerical stability is also good. Thus the applicability of the D2Q19 model is verified.

Problems of nonlinear computational instability in evolution equations

Some problems of nonlinear computational instability are discussed in this article, which are shown as follows:1)Three types of representative evolution equations are analyzed, and the close relationship between the nonlinear computational stability or instability in their corresponding difference equations and the properties of their solution is revealed.2)The problem of nonlinear computational instability in conservative differencing equations with the periodic boundary condition is further discussed, and some effective ways to avoid nonlinear computational instability are proposed.3)The problem of nonlinear computational instability in non-conservative difference equations with the aperiodic boundary condition is focused on by using nonlinear advection equations as examples, and “synthetic analysis method” is given to judge their computational stability.