Stefano Serra Capizzano is at present Professor at University of Insubria, Italy. He will be Visiting Professor at the Computational Group, Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University.

At present, we would like to understand the behavior of complex systems such as the global earth climate, osteoporosis, the human brain, or the geological changes of the earth’s surface altitude. It is not possible to analyze such complex processes solely with paper and pencil, as they do not have analytic solutions. Researchers build sophisticated models with the help of ever more powerful computers. In order to ascertain that such computer simulations yield sufficiently accurate results, it is required to develop rigorous analytic tools and mathematical proofs. Only then it can be assumed that the simulations correspond to the real phenomena.

The Computational Group and geologists from Uppsala University have worked together on applying computer simulation to study historical changes in Earth’s surface altitude under the influence of geological periods of glaciation and deglaciation. Modeling Earth’s altitude is not a simple exercise. The underlying physical processes are complex, the time and the space scales are enormous, the interior of the Earth is heterogeneous, and the thickness of the ice variable.

The initial, somewhat simplified models have already shown that the classical mathematical descriptions are not useful. The group is developing new methods in order to ascertain better accuracy of numerical solutions and shorter computing time for the simulations.

Photo University of Insubria