Researchers race to produce 3D models of BP oil spill

[Donnachaidh]

http://ht.ly/1ULB0


NSF approves supercomputing time as researchers apply storm surge models to oil spread

Computerworld - Scientists have embarked on a crash effort to use one the world's largest supercomputers to create 3D models to simulate how BP's massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill will affect coastal areas.

Acting within 24 hours of receiving a request from researchers, the National Science Foundation late last week made an emergency allocation of 1 million compute hours on a supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas to study how the oil spreading from BP's gusher will affect coastlines.

The goal is to produce models that can forecast how the oil may spread in environmentally sensitive areas by showing in detail what happens when oil interacts with marshes, vegetation and currents.

What may be just as important are models that simulate what could happen if a hurricane carried the oil miles inland, said researchers in interviews.


MORE at the link --

[annabanana]

1. This article is from May 26th. Is there any news of results from this effort? Or has BP

bought them up and shut them down?

[Donnachaidh]

2. dunno -- will try to see if anything is more recent. n/t

[FBI_Un_Sub]

3. BP laid off their researcher on that technology

He is now back at CWRU (Case Western Reserve Univ).