Lars Hoffmann – MPTRAC in Action: A Lagrangian Approach to Atmospheric Transport Modeling and Analysis

CESOC kindly invites you to a talk given by Dr. Lars Hoffmann, Head of division HPC in Applied Sciences and Engineering,Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) with the title:

MPTRAC in Action: A Lagrangian Approach to Atmospheric Transport Modeling and Analysis

Date: 17 June 2025,
Time: 16:00 CEST
Location: University of Bonn

It will also be streamed via zoom:
for online participation, please contact info@cesoc.net

Abstract:

Lagrangian particle dispersion models are indispensable tools for understanding atmospheric transport processes across multiple scales. This presentation introduces MPTRAC (Massive-Parallel Trajectory Calculations), a high-performance, massively parallel Lagrangian model developed at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre for simulating tracer transport and dispersion in the free troposphere and stratosphere. After a brief overview of MPTRAC’s scientific scope and technical features, I will highlight three key application areas. First, I will present a model evaluation based on superpressure balloon observations, demonstrating MPTRAC’s performance under real atmospheric conditions. Second, I will discuss the use of advanced meteorological reanalyses, such as ERA5, emphasizing both the opportunities and challenges they present for Lagrangian modeling. Third, I will explore case studies of volcanic eruptions, in which MPTRAC has been employed to estimate volcanic emissions and simulate the long-range transport and dispersion of volcanic plumes. I will conclude by summarizing key findings and outlining future directions for MPTRAC, including planned enhancements and potential new research avenues that leverage advances in atmospheric science and high-performance computing.

Bio:

Lars Hoffmann received his PhD in physics from the University of Wuppertal, Germany, in 2006. In 2007, he was a visiting scientist at NorthWest Research Associates and a research fellow at the University of Colorado, USA. From 2008 to 2010, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Energy and Climate Research at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

In 2011, he became team leader of the Simulation Laboratory Climate Science at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), a position he held until 2021. Since 2022, he has been head of the Computational Science Division at JSC. In the same year, he was appointed co-chair of the Joint Lab Exascale Earth System Modelling of the Helmholtz Association (HGF), a collaborative initiative dedicated to advancing exascale computing for Earth system research.

His research centers on high-performance computing and computational science applied to atmospheric modeling. This work involves developing and implementing scalable numerical methods to simulate atmospheric processes accurately, as well as leveraging advanced scalable computing technologies to enable large-scale scientific simulations.