Forecasting Antarctic Weather - NSF NCAR's "Derecho" Supercomputer Enables Critical Twice-Daily Forecasts

At Antarctica’s McMurdo Station, extreme weather is a given. Average temperatures there hover around -1 F (-18 C), but have dipped as low as -58 F (-50 C). The station hosts a crew of more than 1,000 people at peak season, and teams conduct research in aeronomy, astrophysics and geospace sciences, biology and ecosystems, geology and geophysics, glaciology, geomorphology, ice cores, and ocean and climate systems. Accurate weather reports in this harsh Antarctic climate are crucial to ensure that travel is safe and researchers and crew aren’t surprised by blizzards or other extreme phenomena. NSF NCAR supercomputers, with workload orchestration by Altair PBS® Professional®, provide McMurdo Station and the U.S. Antarctic Program with the twice-daily reports they rely on to stay safe in the harsh polar climate.