To better integrate the Rice Convection Model (RCM) into the KDI and take advantage of modern parallel computing capabilities, a new grid has been developed for the RCM code. The new grid was developed from the ground up, with better numerics and a more streamlined and flexible approach. The new grid takes the spherical area being modeled by the RCM and "rolls it out" into a flat divides the matrix of refinable blocks, each with an identical height. Though height (the third dimension) is not necessarily needed for the RCM code, this will enable the grid structure to be used for the TGCM portion of the KDI. Note also that each block is designed to be processed on a separate processor in a parallel computer.

With this new structure, it is now possible to refine certain blocks which represent interesting regions, while leaving less interesting areas at low resolution. We are also currently experimenting with dimension by dimension refinement, in which higher resolution could be obtained only on a single dimension. This might be achieved, for example, by dividing a given block horizontally into two sub-blocks instead of four (as would be the case if the block were divided both horizontally and vertically). It is also possible to "stretch" the grid along a given dimension in an interesting region.

The new RCM grid also allows the RCM to more easily share data with other KDI components. For example, the raytracing component of the model can calculate the field line volumes in various blocks as required by the RCM code and pass them back to the RCM.

In addition to the figures below, there is also an RCM animation available in Quicktime form.