OFES WS 2026
In 2002, the Earth Simulator (ES), then the world’s most powerful supercomputer, began operation and enabled groundbreaking long-term, near-global ocean simulations at an unprecedented horizontal resolution of 10 km using the high-resolution ocean model OFES. An ecosystem model was also implemented in OFES, allowing long-term simulations of multiscale, basin-scale ocean circulation that had previously been computationally infeasible. The OFES simulation outputs were made publicly available and have since been widely used by research institutions both in Japan and internationally (the reference paper for OFES has been cited more than 670 times; Masumoto et al., 2004). To promote the use of OFES simulations within the research community, a series of OFES workshops has been held. Leveraging the Earth Simulator, numerous studies have explored multiscale structures and their interactions in the ocean and atmosphere using a variety of models, including the global atmospheric model AFES. These efforts have revealed previously unknown processes in the ocean and the atmosphere closely coupled to it (e.g., Minobe et al., 2008). As of 2025, simulations of diverse multiscale structures in the ocean and atmosphere are being conducted on the fourth-generation Earth Simulator (ES4) using a wide range of oceanic and atmospheric models, including the seasonal prediction model SINTEX-F, the climate model MIROC, the global cloud-resolving model NICAM, and regional climate models. These studies aim to advance understanding of fundamental processes in the ocean–climate system, improve climate and seasonal prediction, and develop atmospheric and oceanic reanalyses through data assimilation. AFES has also been applied to simulations of extraterrestrial planetary atmospheres, such as Venus and Mars. Since the advent of the Earth Simulator, multiscale simulations of the ocean and atmosphere have been actively pursued on supercomputers worldwide. Sharing the knowledge accumulated through these simulation studies is essential for further advancing our understanding of oceanic and atmospheric phenomena and their interactions. This international workshop aims to bring together researchers and students studying oceanic and atmospheric phenomena across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. The workshop will provide a forum for sharing recent research results, generating new ideas, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and promoting lively discussions.