[MITgcm-support] Workstation advice for MITgcm passive tracer runs

[Dimitris Menemenlis]

It depends what resolution you want to run.

3-degree global, e.g., https://github.com/MITgcm-contrib/ecco_darwin/tree/master/v05/3deg
should run fine on your laptop

1-degree ECCO setup, e.g., https://github.com/MITgcm-contrib/llc_hires/blob/master/llc_90/ecco_v4r5/readme_v4r5_eady.txt
should run fin on a 32-core workstation with 256 GB

Dimitris


> On Nov 21, 2025, at 4:51 PM, QI Yuanzhi <qi.yz at outlook.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear MITgcm community, 
> 
> My name is Yuanzhi Qi. I am planning to use MITgcm to simulate the distribution and transport of radioactive tracers in the ocean. Specifically, I aim to model the historical concentration changes of Iodine-129 (I-129) in the Arctic Ocean over the past 80 years. This work is intended to serve as a foundation for future global-scale I-129 simulations and, potentially, for using I-129 as a tracer to study the broader marine iodine cycle. 
> 
> My main question is: Is it feasible to run such 3D simulations on a single workstation? If so, could you provide specific hardware recommendations—such as CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage?
> 
> For instance, should I consider a CPU with 16 cores, 32 cores, or more? Would 128 GB of RAM be sufficient, or would I need 256 GB or more?
> 
> Additionally, if there are any example setups or configurations for similar oceanic passive tracer studies beyond the User Manual, I would be very grateful for any references or pointers.
> 
> Thank you in advance for your guidance.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Yuanzhi
> 

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