Creative computing with Landlab: an open-source toolkit for building, coupling, and exploring two-dimensional numerical models of Earth-surface dynamics

Hobley, Daniel E. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2371-0534, Adams, Jordan M., Siddhartha Nudurupati, Sai, Hutton, Eric W. H., Gasparini, Nicole M., Istanbulluoglu, Erkan and Tucker, Gregory E. 2017. Creative computing with Landlab: an open-source toolkit for building, coupling, and exploring two-dimensional numerical models of Earth-surface dynamics. Earth Surface Dynamics 5 , pp. 21-46. 10.5194/esurf-5-21-2017

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Abstract

The ability to model surface processes and to couple them to both subsurface and atmospheric regimes has proven invaluable to research in the Earth and planetary sciences. However, creating a new model typically demands a very large investment of time, and modifying an existing model to address a new problem typically means the new work is constrained to its detriment by model adaptations for a different problem. Landlab is an open-source software framework explicitly designed to accelerate the development of new process models by providing: (1) a set of tools and existing grid structures – including both regular and irregular grids – to make it faster and easier to develop new process components, or numerical implementations of physical processes; (2) a suite of stable, modular, and interoperable process components that can be combined to create an integrated model; and (3) a set of tools for data input, output, manipulation, and visualization. A set of example models built with these components is also provided. Landlab's structure makes it ideal not only for fully developed modelling applications, but also for model prototyping and classroom use. Because of its modular nature, it can also act as a platform for model intercomparison and epistemic uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. Landlab exposes a standardized model interoperability interface, and is able to couple to third party models and software. Landlab also offers tools to allow the creation of cellular automata, and allows native coupling of such models to more traditional continuous differential equation-based modules. We illustrate the principles of component coupling in Landlab using a model of landform evolution, a cellular ecohydrologic model, and a flood-wave routing model.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software Q Science > QE Geology
Additional Information:	This paper is published under the terms of the CC-BY licence
Publisher:	European Geosciences Union (EGU) / Copernicus Publications
ISSN:	2196-6311
Funders:	National Science Foundation
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 December 2016
Date of Acceptance:	14 December 2016
Last Modified:	15 May 2023 20:02
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/96956

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