This portfolio documents my participation in the 2018 CESM Polar Modeling Workshop, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs. The workshop was held at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, from August 13-17, 2018. It provided hands-on training in high-performance computing (HPC), Earth system modeling, and polar science applications using the Community Earth System Model (CESM).
Workshop Link: 2018 CESM Polar Modeling Workshop
As a participant, I engaged in hands-on sessions focused on configuring, running, and analyzing CESM simulations for polar climate research. The workshop emphasized:
- CESM model setup & execution for Arctic and Antarctic climate studies.
- Atmosphere, Ocean, Sea ice & land ice modeling to simulate cryospheric interactions.
- Using NCAR’s Cheyenne Supercomputer for large-scale climate simulations.
- Post-processing CESM outputs for climate analysis and visualization.
- Interpreting climate model results in the context of observational data.
Throughout the workshop, I collaborated with climate scientists, computational modelers, and fellow early-career researchers to explore CESM’s capabilities in simulating polar climate variability and change.
💡 Technical Skills:
- Earth System Modeling: Running, modifying, and interpreting CESM-based simulations.
- High-Performance Computing (HPC): Using Cheyenne for large-scale climate simulations.
- Atmosphere Modeling: Understanding polar climate dynamics in CESM.
- Data Analysis & Post-Processing: Analyzing climate outputs using Python & NCL (NCAR Command Language).
- Model Configuration & Experiment Design: Designing climate modeling experiments for polar applications.
During the workshop, I worked on Atmosphere #3 project team with Claire Pettersen, Tyler Janoski, and Akila Sampath, where I:
- Ran CESM simulations to analyze Arctic climate projections.
- Investigated climate feedbacks by modifying sea ice albedo and surface temperature parameters.
- Compared CESM climate projections with observational datasets to evaluate model performance.
📑 Workshop Agenda (Official agenda listing my participation)
📑 [Workshop Presentation Slides] https://github.com/akilasampath5/cesm-polar-modeling-workshop-2018/blob/main/Pettersen_Janoski_Sampath_presentation.pdf
📑 [Workshop Poster] https://github.com/akilasampath5/cesm-polar-modeling-workshop-2018/blob/main/OneBig-idea-ASampath-2018.pdf, https://www2.cesm.ucar.edu/events/workshops/2018PMWS/posters.html (Official listing my poster)
📑 Official Workshop Page
🔹 NCAR – National Center for Atmospheric Research
🔹 NSF OPP – Office of Polar Programs
🔹 NWSC – NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center
🔹 CESM – Community Earth System Model
🔹 Cheyenne Supercomputer
💡 This repository contains documentation and notes related to the CESM Polar Modeling Workshop.
- Explore CESM model configurations and datasets in the Projects section.
- Access official workshop materials under Documentation.
🚀 This README serves as a professional portfolio entry and can be included in GitHub or academic profiles to showcase expertise in climate modeling & HPC.