Shallow Water Simulation for Ocean Health
Quantum algorithm for solving shallow water wave equations representing ocean flow dynamics.
Owner
Status
Phase 0 – Ideation
Quantum Approach
Linear Systems of Equations and PDEs
SDGs
Contributors
Trinity College Dublin
Origins of Contributors
Impact/context
Oceans play a pivotal role in regulating our climate and absorb a large amount of CO2 we generate – highlighting the importance of sustaining and monitoring the health of the ocean, through SDG 14.
Ocean simulations form an integral part of various science and engineering applications such as studies related to climate science, oceanographic simulations, offshore energy, ocean health and environment, weather prediction, coastal engineering, submarine volcanoes and even tsunamis.
These inform aspects of primary production, impact on pelagic species (those living in the open sea), transport of carbon and nutrients, and changing patterns of ocean currents.
How quantum could help
Current classical ocean simulation codes are prohibitive in both time and cost, for large-scale extensive simulations. High-resolution simulation of the ocean with the present state of the art facilities present another challenge, and can only be carried out at limited resolutions.
Quantum algorithms for solving partial differential equations will facilitate the resolution of the spatial and temporal domains at appropriate scales, using quantum-based approaches, not possible for classical computers. These algorithms have the potential to produce a quadratic speed-up over classical algorithms for solving certain computational fluid dynamics equations.