publications | Simone Silvestri

2025

Surface to Seafloor: A Generative AI Framework for Decoding the Ocean Interior State

Andre N. Souza, Simone Silvestri, Katherine Deck, and 3 more authors

2025

@misc{souza2025surfaceseafloorgenerativeai,
  title = {Surface to Seafloor: A Generative AI Framework for Decoding the Ocean Interior State},
  author = {Souza, Andre N. and Silvestri, Simone and Deck, Katherine and Bischoff, Tobias and Ferrari, Raffaele and Flierl, Glenn R.},
  year = {2025},
  eprint = {2504.15308},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  primaryclass = {physics.geo-ph},
}

High-level, high-resolution ocean modeling at all scales with Oceananigans

Gregory L. Wagner, Simone Silvestri, Navid C. Constantinou, and 11 more authors

2025

Bib

@misc{wagner2025highlevelhighresolutionoceanmodeling,
  title = {High-level, high-resolution ocean modeling at all scales with Oceananigans},
  author = {Wagner, Gregory L. and Silvestri, Simone and Constantinou, Navid C. and Ramadhan, Ali and Campin, Jean-Michel and Hill, Chris and Chor, Tomas and Strong-Wright, Jago and Lee, Xin Kai and Poulin, Francis and Souza, Andre and Burns, Keaton J. and Marshall, John and Ferrari, Raffaele},
  year = {2025},
  eprint = {2502.14148},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  primaryclass = {physics.ao-ph},
}

A WENO finite-volume scheme for the evolution of potential vorticity in isopycnal ocean models

Wenda Zhang, Yi-Hung Kuo, Simone Silvestri, and 3 more authors

2025

Bib

@misc{zhang2025wenoMOM,
  title = {A WENO finite-volume scheme for the evolution of potential vorticity in isopycnal ocean models},
  author = {Zhang, Wenda and Kuo, Yi-Hung and Silvestri, Simone and Adcroft, Alistair and Hallberg, Robert and Griffies, Stephen M.},
  journal = {ESS Open Archive},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.22541/essoar.175380391.18723979/v1}
}

NORi: An ML-Augmented Ocean Boundary Layer Parameterization

Xin Kai Lee, Ali Ramadhan, Andre Souza, and 4 more authors

2025

Bib

@misc{lee2025norimlaugmentedoceanboundary,
  title = {NORi: An ML-Augmented Ocean Boundary Layer Parameterization},
  author = {Lee, Xin Kai and Ramadhan, Ali and Souza, Andre and Wagner, Gregory LeClaire and Silvestri, Simone and Marshall, John and Ferrari, Raffaele},
  year = {2025},
  eprint = {2512.04452},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  primaryclass = {physics.ao-ph},
}

DJ4Earth: Differentiable, and Performance-portable Earth System Modeling via Program Transformations

William S Moses, Gong Cheng, Valentin Churavy, and 17 more authors

2025

Bib

@misc{moses2025james,
  title = {DJ4Earth: Differentiable, and Performance-portable Earth System Modeling via Program Transformations},
  author = {Moses, William S and Cheng, Gong and Churavy, Valentin and Gelbrecht, Maximilian and Klöwer, Milan and Kump, Joseph and Morlighem, Mathieu and Williamson, Sarah and Apte, Dhruv and Berg, Paul and Giordano, Mosè and Hill, Chris and Loose, Nora and Montoison, Alexis and Narayanan, Sri Hari Krishna and Pal, Avik and Schanen, Michel and Silvestri, Simone and Wagner, Gregory LeClaire and Heimbach, Patrick},
  journal = {ESS Open Archive},
  year = {2025}
}

A GPU-Based Ocean Dynamical Core for Routine Mesoscale-Resolving Climate Simulations

Simone Silvestri, Gregory L. Wagner, Navid C. Constantinou, and 7 more authors

Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 2025

e2024MS004465 2024MS004465

Abs Bib

Abstract We describe an ocean hydrostatic dynamical core implemented in Oceananigans optimized for Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) architectures. On 64 A100 GPUs, equivalent to 16 computational nodes in current state-of-the-art supercomputers, our dynamical core can simulate a decade of near-global ocean dynamics per wall-clock day at an 8-km horizontal resolution; a resolution adequate to resolve the ocean’s mesoscale eddy field. Such efficiency, achieved with relatively modest hardware resources, suggests that climate simulations on GPUs can incorporate fully eddy-resolving ocean models. This removes a major source of systematic bias in current IPCC coupled model projections, the parameterization of ocean eddies, and represents a major advance in climate modeling. We discuss the computational strategies, focusing on GPU-specific optimization and numerical implementation details that enable such high performance.
@article{Silvestri2025, author = {Silvestri, Simone and Wagner, Gregory L. and Constantinou, Navid C. and Hill, Christopher N. and Campin, Jean-Michel and Souza, Andre N. and Bishnu, Siddhartha and Churavy, Valentin and Marshall, John and Ferrari, Raffaele}, title = {A GPU-Based Ocean Dynamical Core for Routine Mesoscale-Resolving Climate Simulations}, journal = {Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, pages = {e2024MS004465}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2024MS004465}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2024MS004465}, note = {e2024MS004465 2024MS004465}, year = {2025} }
Formulation and Calibration of CATKE, a One-Equation Parameterization for Microscale Ocean Mixing

Gregory LeClaire Wagner, Adeline Hillier, Navid Constantinou, and 8 more authors

Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 2025

e2024MS004522 2024MS004522

Abs Bib

Abstract We describe CATKE, a parameterization for fluxes associated with small-scale or “microscale” ocean turbulent mixing on scales between 1 and 100 m. CATKE uses a downgradient formulation that depends on a prognostic turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) variable and a diagnostic mixing length scale that includes a dynamic convective adjustment (CA) component. With its dynamic convective mixing length, CATKE predicts not just the depth spanned by convective plumes but also the characteristic convective mixing timescale, an important aspect of turbulent convection not captured by simpler static CA schemes. As a result, CATKE can describe the competition between convection and other processes such as shear-driven mixing and baroclinic restratification. To calibrate CATKE, we use Ensemble Kalman Inversion to minimize the error between 21 large eddy simulations (LESs) and predictions of the LES data by CATKE-parameterized single column simulations at three different vertical resolutions. We find that CATKE makes accurate predictions of both idealized and realistic LES compared to microscale turbulence parameterizations commonly used in climate models.
@article{Wagner_2023, author = {Wagner, Gregory LeClaire and Hillier, Adeline and Constantinou, Navid and Silvestri, Simone and Souza, Andre and Burns, Keaton and Ramadhan, Ali and Hill, Christopher and Campin, Jean-Michel and Marshall, John and Ferrari, Raffaele}, title = {Formulation and Calibration of CATKE, a One-Equation Parameterization for Microscale Ocean Mixing}, journal = {Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, pages = {e2024MS004522}, keywords = {turbulence, ocean modeling, boundary layers, machine learning, large eddy simulation, parameterization}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2024MS004522}, url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2024MS004522}, note = {e2024MS004522 2024MS004522}, year = {2025} }

2024

A Modified Bisecting K-Means for Approximating Transfer Operators: Application to the Lorenz Equations

Andre N. Souza, and Simone Silvestri

2024

Bib

@misc{souza2024modifiedbisectingkmeansapproximating,
  title = {A Modified Bisecting K-Means for Approximating Transfer Operators: Application to the Lorenz Equations},
  author = {Souza, Andre N. and Silvestri, Simone},
  year = {2024},
  eprint = {2412.03734},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  primaryclass = {physics.comp-ph},
}

SpeedyWeather.jl: Reinventing atmospheric general circulation models towards interactivity and extensibility

Milan Klöwer, Maximilian Gelbrecht, Daisuke Hotta, and 8 more authors

Journal of Open Source Software, 2024

Bib

@article{SpeedyWeatherJOSS,
  doi = {10.21105/joss.06323},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.06323},
  year = {2024},
  publisher = {The Open Journal},
  volume = {9},
  number = {98},
  pages = {6323},
  author = {Klöwer, Milan and Gelbrecht, Maximilian and Hotta, Daisuke and Willmert, Justin and Silvestri, Simone and Wagner, Gregory L. and White, Alistair and Hatfield, Sam and Kimpson, Tom and Constantinou, Navid C. and Hill, Chris},
  title = {{SpeedyWeather.jl: Reinventing atmospheric general circulation models towards interactivity and extensibility}},
  journal = {Journal of Open Source Software}
}

AI-driven emulation of ocean dynamics on sub-seasonal scales

Suyash Bire, Jean Kossaifi, Simone Silvestri, and 4 more authors

In ICLR Workshop on Climate Change AI, May 2024

Bib

@inproceedings{bire2024,
  title = {{AI}-driven emulation of ocean dynamics on sub-seasonal scales},
  author = {Bire, Suyash and Kossaifi, Jean and Silvestri, Simone and Kovachki, Nikola and Azizzadenesheli, Kamyar and Hill, Chris N and Anandkumar, Anima},
  booktitle = {ICLR Workshop on Climate Change AI},
  month = may,
  year = {2024}
}

A New WENO-Based Momentum Advection Scheme for Simulations of Ocean Mesoscale Turbulence

Simone Silvestri, Gregory Wagner, Jean-Michel Campin, and 4 more authors

Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, May 2024

Bib PDF

@article{Simone_silvestri_WENO,
  author = {Silvestri, Simone and Wagner, Gregory and Campin, Jean-Michel and Constantinou, Navid and Hill, Christopher and Souza, Andre and Ferrari, Raffaele},
  title = {A New WENO-Based Momentum Advection Scheme for Simulations of Ocean Mesoscale Turbulence},
  journal = {Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems},
  volume = {16},
  number = {7},
  pages = {e2023MS004130},
  keywords = {numerical modeling, mesoscale ocean turbulence, eddy-permitting simulations},
  doi = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2023MS004130},
  year = {2024},
}

2023

OceanBioME.jl: A flexible environment for modelling the coupled interactions between ocean biogeochemistry and physics

Jago Strong-Wright, Si Chen, Navid C. Constantinou, and 3 more authors

Journal of Open Source Software, May 2023

Bib

@article{Strong-Wright2023,
  doi = {10.21105/joss.05669},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.05669},
  year = {2023},
  publisher = {The Open Journal},
  volume = {8},
  number = {90},
  pages = {5669},
  author = {Strong-Wright, Jago and Chen, Si and Constantinou, Navid C. and Silvestri, Simone and Wagner, Gregory LeClaire and Taylor, John R.},
  title = {OceanBioME.jl: A flexible environment for modelling the coupled interactions between ocean biogeochemistry and physics},
  journal = {Journal of Open Source Software}
}

Oceananigans.jl: A model that achieves breakthrough resolution, memory and energy efficiency in global ocean simulations

Simone Silvestri, Gregory Wagner, Christopher Hill, and 10 more authors

May 2023

Bib

@misc{silvestri2023oceananigansjl,
  title = {Oceananigans.jl: A model that achieves breakthrough resolution, memory and energy efficiency in global ocean simulations},
  author = {Silvestri, Simone and Wagner, Gregory and Hill, Christopher and Ardakani, Matin Raayai and Blaschke, Johannes and Campin, Jean-Michel and Churavy, Valentin and Constantinou, Navid and Edelman, Alan and Marshall, John and Ramadhan, Ali and Souza, Andre and Ferrari, Raffaele},
  year = {2023},
  eprint = {2309.06662},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  primaryclass = {physics.ao-ph}
}

2021

Turbulence modulation in thermally expanding and contracting flows

Simone Silvestri, and Rene Pecnik

Journal of Fluid Mechanics, May 2021

Bib PDF

@article{silvestri_pecnik_2021,
  title = {Turbulence modulation in thermally expanding and contracting flows},
  volume = {926},
  doi = {10.1017/jfm.2021.726},
  journal = {Journal of Fluid Mechanics},
  author = {Silvestri, Simone and Pecnik, Rene},
  year = {2021},
  pages = {A30},
}

Modelling turbulent heat flux accounting for Turbulence-Radiation Interactions

Simone Silvestri, Dirk J.E.M. Roekaerts, and Rene Pecnik

International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, May 2021

Bib PDF

@article{SILVESTRI2021108728,
  title = {Modelling turbulent heat flux accounting for Turbulence-Radiation Interactions},
  journal = {International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow},
  volume = {89},
  pages = {108728},
  year = {2021},
  issn = {0142-727X},
  doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2020.108728},
  author = {Silvestri, Simone and Roekaerts, Dirk J.E.M. and Pecnik, Rene},
}

2020

Mixed convection and radiation heat transfer in porous media for solar thermal applications

Simone Silvestri, and Dirk J.E.M. Roekarts

May 2020

Bib

@book{bookchapter,
  author = {Silvestri, Simone and Roekarts, Dirk J.E.M.},
  title = {Mixed convection and radiation heat transfer in porous media for solar thermal applications},
  booktitle = {Convective heat transfer in porous media},
  publisher = {CRC Press},
  doi = {10.1201/9780429020261},
  year = {2020},
  editor = {Mahmoudi, Yasser and Hooman, Kamel and Vafai, Kambiz},
  pages = {227-262},
  chapter = {12}
}

2019

A fast GPU Monte Carlo radiative heat transfer implementation for coupling with direct numerical simulation

Simone Silvestri, and Rene Pecnik

Journal of Computational Physics, May 2019

Bib PDF

@article{SILVESTRI2019100032,
  title = {A fast GPU Monte Carlo radiative heat transfer implementation for coupling with direct numerical simulation},
  journal = {Journal of Computational Physics},
  volume = {3},
  pages = {100032},
  year = {2019},
  issn = {2590-0552},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jcpx.2019.100032},
  url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590055219300484},
  author = {Silvestri, Simone and Pecnik, Rene},
}

Assessing turbulence-radiation interactions in turbulent flows of non-gray media

Simone Silvestri, Dirk J.E.M. Roekaerts, and Rene Pecnik

Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, May 2019

Bib PDF

@article{SILVESTRI2019134,
  title = {Assessing turbulence-radiation interactions in turbulent flows of non-gray media},
  journal = {Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer},
  volume = {233},
  pages = {134-148},
  year = {2019},
  issn = {0022-4073},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jqsrt.2019.05.018},
  url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022407318307234},
  author = {Silvestri, Simone and Roekaerts, Dirk J.E.M. and Pecnik, Rene},
}

2018

Turbulence-radiation interaction in channel flow with various optical depths

Simone Silvestri, Ashish Patel, Dirk J.E.M. Roekaerts, and 1 more author

Journal of Fluid Mechanics, May 2018

Bib PDF

@article{silvestri_patel_roekaerts_pecnik_2018,
  title = {Turbulence-radiation interaction in channel flow with various optical depths},
  volume = {834},
  doi = {10.1017/jfm.2017.738},
  journal = {Journal of Fluid Mechanics},
  publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
  author = {Silvestri, Simone and Patel, Ashish and Roekaerts, Dirk J.E.M. and Pecnik, Rene},
  year = {2018},
  pages = {359-384},
}