Ocean models are used to predict currents, temperature, and salinity of the earth's oceans, much like weather forecasting. As supercomputer hardware changes with evolving technology, models must be updated, and sometimes rewritten. Here we document Omega, a new ocean model that was designed to run on the world's fastest supercomputers. Testing shows that Omega accurately solves the model equations, and runs efficiently on many different computer architectures, including exascale computers.

Forests are shaped by how trees compete for light. We improved a widely used vegetation model by introducing spatially explicit canopies, allowing light distribution to vary realistically, especially after disturbances like tree death or harvest. This enhances the simulation of forest structure, tree coexistence, and regeneration, providing a better model for predicting forest dynamics and responses to management and environmental change.