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<li>To appreciate that LEMs (1) are able to reproduce (and therefore, at least potentially, explain) common forms in fluvially carved landscapes, (2) can enhance our insight into dynamics via visualization and experimentation, but (3) leave open many important questions regarding long-term process physics.</li>
<li>To appreciate that LEMs (1) are able to reproduce (and therefore, at least potentially, explain) common forms in fluvially carved landscapes, (2) can enhance our insight into dynamics via visualization and experimentation, but (3) leave open many important questions regarding long-term process physics.</li>
<li>To develop a sense of ``best practices'' in using landscape evolution models.</li>
<li>To develop a sense of ``best practices'' in using landscape evolution models.</li>
<\ul>
</ul>
 
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<h2 class="titleHead">
LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION MODELING WITH CHILD
</h2><div class="authors"><span class="author" >
<span
class="cmr-10">GREGORY E.</span><span
class="cmr-10">&#X00A0;TUCKER</span><br
class="newline" /><span
class="cmti-10">UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO</span><br
class="newline" /><br
class="newline" /><span
class="cmr-10">STEPHEN T.</span><span
class="cmr-10">&#X00A0;LANCASTER</span><br
class="newline" /><span
class="cmti-10">OREGON</span>
<span
class="cmti-10">STATE UNIVERSITY</span>
</span></div>
<div class="submaketitle">
<div class="date" >
<!--l. 29--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmti-12">Date</span>:&#x00A0;Short Course notes prepared for SIESD 2012: Future Earth: Interaction of Climate and
Earth-surface Processes, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, August
2012.</div></div></div>
<h3 class="sectionHead"><a
id="x1-1000"></a></h3>
<div class="tableofcontents"><span class="sectionToc" ><a
href="#x1-1000" id="QQ2-1-1"></a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;1.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-20001" id="QQ2-1-2">Overview</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;2.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-30002" id="QQ2-1-4">Introduction                                      to
LEMs</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;2.1.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-40002.1" id="QQ2-1-5">Brief History</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;2.2.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-50002.2" id="QQ2-1-6">Brief Overview of Models and
their Uses</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;3.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-60003" id="QQ2-1-8">Continuity of Mass and Discretization</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;4.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-70004" id="QQ2-1-10">Gravitational
Hillslope Transport</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;4.1.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-80004.1" id="QQ2-1-11">Linear Diffusion</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-90004.1" id="QQ2-1-12"><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 1: Getting</span>
<span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Set Up with CHILD</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-100004.1" id="QQ2-1-13"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise 2: Hillslope Diffusion and</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Parabolic Slopes with CHILD</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;4.2.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-110004.2" id="QQ2-1-14">Nonlinear Diffusion</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-120004.2" id="QQ2-1-15"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise 3:</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Nonlinear Diffusion and Planar Slopes</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;4.3.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-130004.3" id="QQ2-1-16">Remarks</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;5.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-140005" id="QQ2-1-17">Rainfall,
Runoff,  and  Drainage  Networks</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;5.1.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-150005.1" id="QQ2-1-18">Methods  Based  on
Drainage  Area</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-160005.1" id="QQ2-1-20"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise  4:  Flow  Over  Noisy,  Inclined</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Topography</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;5.2.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-170005.2" id="QQ2-1-21">Shallow-Water Equations</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;5.3.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-180005.3" id="QQ2-1-23">Cellular
Automata</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;5.4.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-190005.4" id="QQ2-1-24">Depressions in the Terrain</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;5.5.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-200005.5" id="QQ2-1-25">Precipitation
and  Discharge</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-210005.5" id="QQ2-1-26"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise  5:  Visualizing  a  Poisson  Storm</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Sequence</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;5.6.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-220005.6" id="QQ2-1-27">Remarks</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;6.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-230006" id="QQ2-1-28">Hydraulic Geometry</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;7.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-240007" id="QQ2-1-29">Erosion
and Transport by Running Water</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;7.1.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-250007.1" id="QQ2-1-30">Detachment-Limited
Models</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-260007.1" id="QQ2-1-31"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise 6: Detachment-Limited Hills and Mountains</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-270007.1" id="QQ2-1-32"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">7: Zooming in to the Hillslopes</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-280007.1" id="QQ2-1-33"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise 8: Knickzones and Transient</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Response</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;7.2.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-290007.2" id="QQ2-1-34">Transport-Limited Models</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-300007.2" id="QQ2-1-35"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise 9: A Pile of Fine</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Sand</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-310007.2" id="QQ2-1-36"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise 10: A Pile of Cobbles</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;7.3.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-320007.3" id="QQ2-1-37">Hybrid Model: Combining
Detachment and Transport</a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-330007.3" id="QQ2-1-38"><span
class="cmti-12">Exercise 11: Erosion and Deposition, Together at</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Last</span></a></span><br /><span class="subsectionToc" >&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;7.4.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-340007.4" id="QQ2-1-39">Other Sediment-Flux-Dependent Fluvial Models</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;8.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-350008" id="QQ2-1-40">Multiple
Grain Sizes</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;9.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-360009" id="QQ2-1-41">Exotica</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;10.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-3700010" id="QQ2-1-42">Forecasting or Speculation?</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" >&#x00A0;11.&#x00A0;&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-3800011" id="QQ2-1-43">Ten
 
Commandments of Landscape Evolution Modeling</a></span><br /><span class="sectionToc" ><a
href="#x1-3900011" id="QQ2-1-44">References</a></span><br />
</div>
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">1. </span> <a
id="x1-20001"></a>Overview</h3>
<!--l. 38--><p class="noindent" ><span class="floatingfigure-r" style="width:234.8775pt"><img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20120x.png" alt="PIC" class="graphics"><!--tex4ht:graphics 
name="child_exercises_nced_aug20120x.png" src="mesh_schematic.pdf" 
-->
<br /><span class="caption"><span class="id">Figure&#x00A0;1</span>:                                  Schematic
diagram  of  CHILD  model&#8217;s  representation
of  the  landscape:  hexagonal  Voronoi  cells,
nodes (at centers of cells) connected by the
edges of the Delaunay triangulation, vegetated
cell  surfaces,  channelized  cells,  and  soil  and
sediment layers above bedrock.</span><br />              </span>
<!--l. 46--><p class="noindent" >The learning goals of this exercise are:
      <ul class="itemize1">
      <li class="itemize">To  gain  a  clearer  understanding  of
how  a  typical  landscape  evolution
model  (LEM)  solves  the  governing
equations that represent geomorphic
processes.                                   
      </li>
 
      <li class="itemize">To gain hands-on experience actually
using a LEM.                             
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To understand how continuity of mass
is maintained by a typical LEM, and
some of the limitations that arise.   
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To  appreciate  some  of  the  ways  in
which climate and hydrology can be
represented in a LEM, and some of
the simplifications involved.           
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To appreciate that working with LEMs involves choosing a level of simplification in
      the governing physics that is appropriate to the problem at hand.
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To get a sense for how and why soil creep produces convex hillslopes.
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To appreciate the concepts of transient versus steady topography.
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To acquire a feel for the similarity and difference between detachment-limited and
      transport-limited modes of fluvial erosion.
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To understand the connection between fluvial physics and slope-area plots.
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To appreciate that LEMs (1) are able to reproduce (and therefore, at least potentially,
      explain) common forms in fluvially carved landscapes, (2) can enhance our insight into
      dynamics via visualization and experimentation, but (3) leave open many important
      questions regarding long-term process physics.
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">To develop a sense &#8220;best practice&#8221; in using landscape evolution models.</li></ul>
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">2. </span> <a
id="x1-30002"></a>Introduction to LEMs</h3>
<!--l. 63--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">2.1. </span> <a
id="x1-40002.1"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Brief History.</span></span>
 
<!--l. 65--><p class="noindent" >G.K.&#x00A0;Gilbert, a member of the Powell Expedition, produced &#8220;word pictures&#8221; of landscape
evolution that still provide insight (<a
href="#Xgilbert1877report"><span
class="cmti-12">Gilbert</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xgilbert1877report">1877</a>). For example, consider his &#8220;Law of Divides&#8221;
(<a
href="#Xgilbert1877report"><span
class="cmti-12">Gilbert</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xgilbert1877report">1877</a>):
<!--l. 69--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 71--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">We have seen that the declivity over which water flows bears an inverse relation</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">to the quantity of water. If we follow a stream from its mouth upward and pass</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">successively the mouths of its tributaries, we find its volume gradually less and less</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">and its grade steeper and steeper, until finally at its head we reach the steepest</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">grade of all. If we draw the profile of the river on paper, we produce a curve concave</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">upward and with the greatest curvature at the upper end. The same law applies</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">to every tributary and even to the slopes over which the freshly fallen rain flows</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">in a sheet before it is gathered into rills. The nearer the water-shed or divide the</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">steeper the slope; the farther away the less the slope.</span>
      <!--l. 83--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">It is in accordance with this law that mountains are steepest at their crests. The</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">profile of a mountain if taken along drainage lines is concave outward...; and this is</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">purely a matter of sculpture, the uplifts from which mountains are carved rarely if</span>
      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">ever assuming this form.</span>
<!--l. 90--><p class="noindent" >Flash forward to the 1960&#8217;s, and we find the emergence of the first one-dimensional profile models.
<a
href="#Xculling1963soil"><span
class="cmti-12">Culling</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xculling1963soil">1963</a>), for example, used the diffusion equation to describe the relaxation of escarpments
over time.
<!--l. 94--><p class="noindent" >Models became more sophisticated in the early 1970&#8217;s. Frank Ahnert and Mike Kirkby, among others,
began to develop computer models of slope profile development and included not only diffusive soil
creep but also fluvial downcutting as well as weathering (<a
href="#Xahnert1971general"><span
class="cmti-12">Ahnert</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xahnert1971general">1971</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xkirkby1971hillslope"><span
class="cmti-12">Kirkby</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xkirkby1971hillslope">1971</a>).
Meanwhile, Alan Howard developed a simulation model of channel network evolution
(<a
href="#Xhoward1971simulation"><span
class="cmti-12">Howard</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xhoward1971simulation">1971</a>).
<!--l. 102--><p class="noindent" >The mid-1970&#8217;s saw the first emergence of fully two-dimensional (and even quasi-three-dimensional)
landscape evolution models, perhaps most noteworthy that of <a
href="#Xahnert1976"><span
class="cmti-12">Ahnert</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xahnert1976">1976</a>). Geomorphologists
would have to wait nearly 15 years for models to surpass the level of sophistication found in this
early model.
<!--l. 108--><p class="noindent" >During that time, computers would become much more powerful and able to model full
landscapes. The late 1980&#8217;s through the mid-1990&#8217;s saw the beginning of the &#8220;modern era&#8221;
of landscape evolution models, and today there are many model codes with as many
applications, scales, and objectives, ranging from soil erosion to continental collision (Table
1).
<!--l. 115--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">2.2. </span> <a
id="x1-50002.2"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Brief Overview of Models and their Uses.</span></span>
<!--l. 117--><p class="noindent" >Some examples of landscape evolution models (LEMs) are shown in Table 1. LEMs have been
 
developed to represent, for example, coupled erosion-deposition systems, meandering, Mars
cratering, forecasting of mine-spoil degradation, and estimation of erosion risk to buried
hazardous waste. These models provide powerful tools, but their process ingredients are
generally provisional and subject to testing. For this reason, it is important to have
continuing cross-talk between modeling and observations&#8212;after all, that&#8217;s how science
works.
<!--l. 126--><p class="noindent" >In this exercise, we provide an overview of how a LEM works, including how terrain and water flow
are represented numerically, and how various processes are computed.
<div class="center"
>
<!--l. 130--><p class="noindent" >
<!--l. 132--><p class="noindent" ><a
id="x1-50011"></a><a
id="x1-60032"></a><a
id="x1-150013"></a><hr class="float"><div class="float"
>
<br /> <div class="caption"
><span class="id">Table&#x00A0;1: </span><span 
class="content">Partial list of numerical landscape models published between 1991 and 2005.</span></div><!--tex4ht:label?: x1-50011 -->
<div class="tabular"> <table id="TBL-1" class="tabular"
cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" 
><colgroup id="TBL-1-1g"><col
id="TBL-1-1"><col
id="TBL-1-2"><col
id="TBL-1-3"></colgroup><tr
class="hline"><td><hr></td><td><hr></td><td><hr></td></tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-1-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-1-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Model                </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-1-2" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Example reference        </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-1-3" 
class="td11">          <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Notes                </span></td>
</tr><tr
class="hline"><td><hr></td><td><hr></td><td><hr></td></tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-2-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-2-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">SIBERIA            </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-2-2" 
class="td11">  <a
href="#Xwillgoose1991coupled"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Willgoose et</span><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;al.</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xwillgoose1991coupled"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1991</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)    </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-2-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Transport-limited;        </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-3-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-3-1" 
class="td11">                </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-3-2" 
class="td11">                          </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-3-3" 
class="td11"> <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Channel activator function  </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-4-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-4-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">DRAINAL            </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-4-2" 
class="td11">  <a
href="#Xbeaumont1992erosional"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Beaumont et</span><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;al.</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xbeaumont1992erosional"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1992</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)    </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-4-3" 
class="td11">  <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#8220;Undercapacity&#8221; concept  </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-5-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-5-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">GILBERT            </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-5-2" 
class="td11">      <a
href="#Xchase1992fluvial"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Chase</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xchase1992fluvial"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1992</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)          </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-5-3" 
class="td11">        <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Precipiton            </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-6-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-6-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">DELIM/MARSSIM</span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-6-2" 
class="td11">      <a
href="#Xhoward1994detachment"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Howard</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xhoward1994detachment"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1994</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)          </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-6-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Detachment-limited;      </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-7-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-7-1" 
class="td11">                </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-7-2" 
class="td11">                          </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-7-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Nonlinear diffusion      </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-8-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-8-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">GOLEM              </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-8-2" 
class="td11"><a
href="#Xtucker1994erosional"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Tucker and Slingerland</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xtucker1994erosional"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1994</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)</span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-8-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Regolith generation;      </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-9-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-9-1" 
class="td11">                </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-9-2" 
class="td11">                          </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-9-3" 
class="td11">  <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Threshold landsliding    </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-10-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-10-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">CASCADE          </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-10-2" 
class="td11"> <a
href="#Xbraun1997modelling"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Braun and Sambridge</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xbraun1997modelling"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1997</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">) </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-10-3" 
class="td11">  <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Irregular discretization    </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-11-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-11-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">CAESAR            </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-11-2" 
class="td11">  <a
href="#Xcoulthard1996cellular"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Coulthard et</span><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;al.</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xcoulthard1996cellular"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1996</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)    </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-11-3" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Cellular automaton algorithm</span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-12-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-12-1" 
class="td11">                </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-12-2" 
class="td11">                          </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-12-3" 
class="td11">      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">for 2D flow field        </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-13-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-13-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">ZSCAPE              </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-13-2" 
class="td11">  <a
href="#Xdensmore1998landsliding"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Densmore et</span><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;al.</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xdensmore1998landsliding"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1998</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)    </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-13-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Stochastic bedrock      </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-14-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-14-1" 
class="td11">                </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-14-2" 
class="td11">                          </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-14-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">landsliding algorithm      </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-15-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-15-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">CHILD                </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-15-2" 
class="td11">  <a
href="#Xtucker2000stochastic"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Tucker and Bras</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xtucker2000stochastic"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">2000</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)    </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-15-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Stochastic rainfall        </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-16-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-16-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">EROS                  </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-16-2" 
class="td11">  <a
href="#Xcrave2001stochastic"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Crave and Davy</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xcrave2001stochastic"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">2001</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)    </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-16-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Modified precipiton      </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-17-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-17-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">TISC                  </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-17-2" 
class="td11">  <a
href="#Xgarcia2002interplay"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Garcia-Castellanos</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xgarcia2002interplay"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">2002</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)  </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-17-3" 
class="td11">      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Thrust stacking        </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-18-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-18-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">LAPSUS              </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-18-2" 
class="td11">    <a
href="#Xschoorl2002modeling"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Schoorl et</span><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;al.</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xschoorl2002modeling"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">2002</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)      </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-18-3" 
class="td11">  <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Multiple flow directions    </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-19-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-19-1" 
class="td11"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">APERO/CIDRE    </span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-19-2" 
class="td11"><a
href="#Xcarretier2005does"><span
class="cmti-10x-x-109">Carretier and Lucazeau</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xcarretier2005does"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">2005</span></a><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">)</span></td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-19-3" 
class="td11">    <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">Single or multiple        </span></td>
</tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-20-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-20-1" 
class="td11">                </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-20-2" 
class="td11">                          </td><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;" id="TBL-1-20-3" 
class="td11">      <span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">flow directions          </span></td>
</tr><tr
class="hline"><td><hr></td><td><hr></td><td><hr></td></tr><tr 
style="vertical-align:baseline;" id="TBL-1-21-"><td  style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" id="TBL-1-21-1" 
class="td11">                </td></tr></table></div></div><hr class="endfloat" />
</div>
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">3. </span> <a
id="x1-60003"></a>Continuity of Mass and Discretization</h3>
<!--l. 167--><p class="noindent" >A typical mass continuity equation for a column of soil or rock is:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-6001r1"></a>
 
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20121x.png" alt="&#x2202;&#x03B7;
&#x2202;t-= B  - &#x2207; &#x20D7;qs
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(1)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 170--><p class="nopar" >
where <span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03B7; </span>is the elevation of the land surface
[L]<span class="footnote-mark"><a
href="child_exercises_nced_aug20122.html#fn1x0">1</a></span><a
id="x1-6002f1"></a>; <span
class="cmmi-12">t</span>
is time; <span
class="cmmi-12">B </span>[L/T] represents the vertical motion of the rocks and soil relative to baselevel (due, for
example, to tectonic uplift or subsidence, sea-level change, or erosion along the boundary
of the system); and <img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20122x.png" alt="&#x20D7;q"  class="vec" > <sub><span
class="cmmi-8">s</span></sub> is sediment flux per unit width [L<sup><span
class="cmr-8">2</span></sup>/T]. This is one of several
variations; for discussion of others, see <a
href="#Xtucker2010modelling"><span
class="cmti-12">Tucker and Hancock</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xtucker2010modelling">2010</a>). Some models, for
example, distinguish between a regolith layer and the bedrock underneath (Fig.&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-20011">1<!--tex4ht:ref: fig:schem --></a>). Note
that this type of mass continuity equation applies only to terrain that has one and
only one surface point for each coordinate; it would not apply to a vertical cliff or an
overhang.
<!--l. 173--><p class="noindent" >A LEM computes <span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03B7;</span>(<span
class="cmmi-12">x,y,t</span>) given (1) a set of process rules, (2) initial conditions, and
(3) boundary conditions. One thing all LEMs have in common is that they divide the
terrain into discrete elements. Often these are square elements, but sometimes they are
irregular polygons (as in the case of CASCADE and CHILD; Fig.&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-20011">1<!--tex4ht:ref: fig:schem --></a>). For a discrete
parcel (or &#8220;cell&#8221;) of land, continuity of mass enforced by the following equation (in
words):
<!--l. 177--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmti-12">Time rate of change of mass in element = mass rate in at boundaries - mass rate out at boundaries</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">+ inputs or outputs from above or below (tectonics, dust deposition, etc.)</span>
 
<!--l. 179--><p class="noindent" ><span class="floatingfigure-r" style="width:171.0pt"><img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20123x.png" alt="PIC" class="graphics"><!--tex4ht:graphics 
name="child_exercises_nced_aug20123x.png" src="child_mesh_schem.pdf" 
-->
<br /><span class="caption"><span class="id">Figure&#x00A0;2</span>:  Schematic  diagram  of
CHILD mesh with illustration of
calculation      of      volumetric
fluxes between cells. Dashed lines
indicate cells and their faces, solid
circles are nodes, and solid lines
show the edges between nodes.</span><br />  </span>
<!--l. 187--><p class="noindent" >This statement can be expressed mathematically, for cell <span
class="cmmi-12">i</span>, as follows:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-6004r2"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20124x.png" alt="d&#x03B7;        1 &#x2211;N
--i=  B +  ---  qsj&#x03BB;j
dt        &#x039B;i j=1
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(2)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 191--><p class="nopar" >
where &#x039B;<sub><span
class="cmmi-8">i</span></sub> is the horizontal surface area of cell <span
class="cmmi-12">i</span>; <span
class="cmmi-12">N </span>is the number of faces surrounding cell <span
class="cmmi-12">i</span>; <span
class="cmmi-12">q</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">sj</span></sub> is
the unit flux across face <span
class="cmmi-12">j</span>; and <span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03BB;</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">j</span></sub> is the length of face <span
class="cmmi-12">j </span>(Fig. <a
href="#x1-60032">2<!--tex4ht:ref: fig:cmesh --></a>). (Note that, for the sake of
simplicity, we are using volume rather than mass flux; this is ok as long as the mass density of the
material is unchanging). Equation (<a
href="#x1-6004r2">2<!--tex4ht:ref: eq:finvol --></a>) expresses what is known as a <span
class="cmti-12">finite-volume </span>method because
it is based on computing fluxes in and out along the boundaries of a finite volume of
space.
<!--l. 194--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmti-12">Some terminology: a </span><span
class="cmbx-12">cell </span><span
class="cmti-12">is a patch of ground with boundaries called </span><span
class="cmbx-12">faces</span><span
class="cmti-12">. A </span><span
class="cmbx-12">node </span><span
class="cmti-12">is the point</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">inside a cell at which we track elevation (and other properties). On a raster grid, each cell is square</span>
 
<span
class="cmti-12">and each node lies at the center of a cell. On the irregular mesh used by CASCADE and CHILD,</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">the </span><span
class="cmbx-12">cell </span><span
class="cmti-12">is the area of land that is closer to that particular node than to any other node in the</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">mesh. (It is a mathematical entity known as a </span><span
class="cmbx-12">Voronoi cell </span><span
class="cmti-12">or </span><span
class="cmbx-12">Thiessen polygon</span><span
class="cmti-12">; for more, see</span>
<a
href="#Xbraun1997modelling"><span
class="cmti-12">Braun and Sambridge</span></a><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xbraun1997modelling"><span
class="cmti-12">1997</span></a><span
class="cmti-12">), </span><a
href="#Xtucker2001object"><span
class="cmti-12">Tucker et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;(</span><a
href="#Xtucker2001object"><span
class="cmti-12">2001a</span></a><span
class="cmti-12">).)</span>
<!--l. 196--><p class="noindent" >Equation&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-6004r2">2<!--tex4ht:ref: eq:finvol --></a> gives us the time derivatives for the elevation of every node on the grid. How do we
solve for the new elevations at time <span
class="cmmi-12">t</span>? There are many ways to do this, including matrix-based
implicit solvers (see for example <a
href="#Xfagherazzi2002implicit"><span
class="cmti-12">Fagherazzi et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xfagherazzi2002implicit">2002</a>);&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xperron2011numerical"><span
class="cmti-12">Perron</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xperron2011numerical">2011</a>)). We won&#8217;t get into the
details of numerical solutions (at least not yet), but for now note that the simplest solution is the
forward-difference approximation: <div class="eqnarray">
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20125x.png" alt="                  d&#x03B7;    &#x03B7; (t + &#x0394;t ) - &#x03B7;(t)
                  --i &#x2248; -i------------i--                      (3)
                  dt          &#x0394;t
                              1 &#x2211;N
&#x03B7;i(t + &#x0394;t ) = &#x03B7;i(t) + U &#x0394;t + &#x0394;t---    qsj&#x03BB;j                      (4)
                              &#x039B;i j=1
" class="math-display" ></center>
</div>The main disadvantage of this approach is that very small time steps are typically needed in
order to ensure numerical stability. (CHILD uses a variant of this that seeks the largest
possible stable value of &#x0394;<span
class="cmmi-12">t </span>at each iteration). A good discussion of numerical stability,
accuracy, and alternative methods for diffusion-like problems can be found in <a
href="#Xpress2007numerical"><span
class="cmti-12">Press</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xpress2007numerical">2007</a>).
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">4. </span> <a
id="x1-70004"></a>Gravitational Hillslope Transport</h3>
<!--l. 207--><p class="noindent" >Geomorphologists often distinguish between hillslope and channel processes. It&#8217;s a useful
distinction, although one has to bear in mind that the transition is not always abrupt,
and even where it is abrupt, it is commonly either discontinuous or highly dynamic or
both.
<!--l. 209--><p class="noindent" >Alternatively, one can also distinguish between processes that are driven nearly exclusively by
gravitational processes, and those that involve a fluid phase (normally water or ice). This
distinction too has a gray zone: landslides are gravitational phenomena but often triggered by fluid
pore pressure, while debris flows are surges of mixed fluid and solid. Nonetheless, we
will start with a consideration of one form of gravitational transport on hillslopes: soil
creep.
 
<!--l. 211--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">4.1. </span> <a
id="x1-80004.1"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Linear Diffusion.</span></span>
<!--l. 213--><p class="noindent" >For relatively gentle, soil-mantled slopes, there is reasonably strong support for a transport law of
the form:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-8001r5"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20126x.png" alt="&#x20D7;qs = - D &#x2207; &#x03B7;
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(5)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 216--><p class="nopar" >
where <span
class="cmmi-12">D </span>is a transport coefficient with dimensions of L<sup><span
class="cmr-8">2</span></sup>T<sup><span
class="cmsy-8">-</span><span
class="cmr-8">1</span></sup>. Using the finite-volume method
outlined in equation <a
href="#x1-6004r2">2<!--tex4ht:ref: eq:finvol --></a>, we want to calculate <img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20127x.png" alt="&#x20D7;qs"  class="vec" > at each of the cell faces. Suppose node <span
class="cmmi-12">i </span>and node <span
class="cmmi-12">k</span>
are neighboring nodes that share a common face (we&#8217;ll call this face <span
class="cmmi-12">j</span>). We approximate the
gradient between nodes <span
class="cmmi-12">i </span>and <span
class="cmmi-12">k </span>as:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-8002r6"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20128x.png" alt="      &#x03B7;k - &#x03B7;i
Sik = -------
        Lik
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(6)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 220--><p class="nopar" >
where <span
class="cmmi-12">L</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">ik</span></sub> is the distance between nodes. On a raster grid, <span
class="cmmi-12">L</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">ik</span></sub> = &#x0394;<span
class="cmmi-12">x </span>is simply the grid spacing.
The sediment flux per unit width is then
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-8003r7"></a>
 
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug20129x.png" alt="        &#x03B7;k---&#x03B7;i
qsik &#x2243; D  Lik
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(7)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 224--><p class="nopar" >
where <span
class="cmmi-12">q</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">sik</span></sub> is the volume flux per unit width from node <span
class="cmmi-12">k </span>to node <span
class="cmmi-12">i </span>(if negative, sediment flows from
<span
class="cmmi-12">i </span>to <span
class="cmmi-12">k</span>), and <span
class="cmmi-12">L</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">ik</span></sub> is the distance between nodes. On a raster grid, <span
class="cmmi-12">L</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">ik</span></sub> = &#x0394;<span
class="cmmi-12">x </span>is simply the grid
spacing. To compute the total sediment flux through face <span
class="cmmi-12">j</span>, we simply multiply the
unit flux by the width of face <span
class="cmmi-12">j</span>, which we denote <span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03BB;</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">ij</span></sub> (read as &#8220;the <span
class="cmmi-12">j</span>-th face of cell
<span
class="cmmi-12">i</span>&#8221;):
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-8004r8"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201210x.png" alt="Qsik = qsik&#x03BB;ij
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(8)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 228--><p class="nopar" >
<!--l. 230--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-90004.1"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 1: Getting Set Up with CHILD</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 232--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 235--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-12">Our first exercise is simply to (1) get the model, input files, documentation, and</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">visualization tools and (2) run the executable file to make sure it is installed and</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">working correctly. In some cases, it might be necessary to create a new executable</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">file from the source code.</span>
 
      <!--l. 241--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-12">For SIESD 2012, the package will already have been installed on the computers</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">in the lab. Look for it in the folder: </span><span
class="cmtt-12">C:</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">\</span><span
class="cmtt-12">child</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">\</span><span
class="cmtt-12">ChildExercises</span><span
class="cmss-12">.</span>
______________
          <!--l. 245--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">If you are working on your own computer:</span>
        <!--l. 247--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmssi-12">If you are working on your own computer, you will need to download a copy of the</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">latest CHILD release from the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">(CSDMS) web site:</span>
          <!--l. 249--><p class="noindent" ><a
href="http://csdms.colorado.edu" class="url" ><span
class="cmitt-10x-x-120">http://csdms.colorado.edu</span></a>
      <!--l. 251--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmssi-12">Once you have downloaded and unwrapped the package, locate the users&#8217; guide</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">and follow the instructions to compile the model on your particular platform. You</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">will need to use either a UNIX shell or the Command window under Windows.</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">On a mac, use the </span><span
class="cmbx-12">Terminal </span><span
class="cmssi-12">application. On a windows machine, use either</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">a UNIX emulator shell such as cygwin on a PC, or the command window. In a</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">UNIX shell, to change folders (&#8220;directories&#8221; in UNIX-speak), use </span><span
class="cmtt-12">cd </span><span
class="cmssi-12">followed by</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">the folder name. A single period represents the current working directory; two</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">periods represent the next directory up. For example, the command </span><span
class="cmtt-12">cd .. </span><span
class="cmssi-12">takes</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">you one level up. To get a list of files in a directory, use </span><span
class="cmtt-12">ls</span><span
class="cmssi-12">. For Command prompt</span>
          <span
class="cmssi-12">under windows, use </span><span
class="cmtt-12">dir </span><span
class="cmssi-12">instead of </span><span
class="cmtt-12">ls </span><span
class="cmssi-12">and backslashes instead of forward slashes.</span>
          <!--l. 261--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-12">Start up Command Window. In the command window, type </span><span
class="cmtt-12">child</span><span
class="cmss-12">. You should see</span>
          <span
class="cmss-12">something like the following:</span>
 
      <div class="verbatim" id="verbatim-1">
Usage:&#x00A0;child&#x00A0;[options]&#x00A0;&#x003C;input&#x00A0;file&#x003E;
&#x00A0;<br />&#x00A0;--help:&#x00A0;display&#x00A0;this&#x00A0;help&#x00A0;message.
&#x00A0;<br />&#x00A0;--no-check:&#x00A0;disable&#x00A0;CheckMeshConsistency().
&#x00A0;<br />&#x00A0;--silent-mode:&#x00A0;silent&#x00A0;mode.
&#x00A0;<br />&#x00A0;--version:&#x00A0;display&#x00A0;version.</div>
      <!--l. 269--><p class="nopar" >
      <!--l. 271--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-12">While we&#8217;re at it, let&#8217;s get ready to visualize the output. Start Matlab. The first thing we</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">will do is tell Matlab where to look for the plotting programs that we will use. At the</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">Matlab command prompt type:</span>
      <!--l. 273--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-12">path( path, &#8217;</span><span
class="cmssi-12">childFolderLocation</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">\</span><span
class="cmtt-12">ChildExercises</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">\</span><span
class="cmtt-12">MatlabScripts&#8217;</span>
      <span
class="cmtt-12">)</span>
      <!--l. 275--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-12">For </span><span
class="cmssi-12">childFolderLocation</span><span
class="cmss-12">, use the path name of the folder that contains the CHILD</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">package. You can also add a folder to your path by selecting </span><span
class="cmssi-12">File-</span><span
class="cmmi-12">&#x003E;</span><span
class="cmssi-12">Set Path... </span><span
class="cmss-12">from the</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">menu.</span>
      <!--l. 278--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-12">In Matlab, navigate the current folder to the location of the example input file</span>
      <span
class="cmtt-12">hillslope1.in </span><span
class="cmss-12">(which should end in: </span><span
class="cmtt-12">ChildExercises</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">\</span><span
class="cmtt-12">Hillslope1</span><span
class="cmss-12">).</span>
      <!--l. 280--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-12">Note that the &#8220;package&#8221; also includes some documentation that you may find</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">useful: the </span><span
class="cmtt-12">ChildExercises </span><span
class="cmss-12">folder contains an earlier version of this document,</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">and the </span><span
class="cmtt-12">Doc </span><span
class="cmss-12">folder contains the Users&#8217; Guide (</span><span
class="cmtt-12">child</span><span
class="cmtt-12">_users</span><span
class="cmtt-12">_guide.pdf</span><span
class="cmss-12">). The</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">guide covers the nuts and bolts of the model in much greater detail than these</span>
      <span
class="cmss-12">exercises and includes a full list of input parameters.</span>
<!--l. 287--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-100004.1"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 2: Hillslope Diffusion and Parabolic Slopes with CHILD</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 288--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 291--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-10002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In your terminal window, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">ChildExercises</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">\</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Hillslope1 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder.</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-10004x2"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">To run the example, in your terminal window type:</span>
    <!--l. 297--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child hillslope1.in</span>
 
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-10006x3"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">A series of numbers will flash by on the screen. These numbers represent time</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">intervals in years. The 2-million-year run takes about 20 seconds on a 2GHz Intel</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Mac. When it finishes, return to Matlab and type:</span>
    <!--l. 303--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">m = cmovie( &#8217;hillslope1&#8217;, 21, 200, 200, 100, 50 );</span>
    <!--l. 305--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">(This command says &#8220;generate a 21-frame movie from the run &#8216;hillslope1&#8217; with</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">the x-, y- and z- axes set to 200, 200 and 100 m, respectively, and with the color</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">range representing 0 to 50 m elevation).</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-10008x4"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">To replay the movie, type </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">movie(m)</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">.</span>
    </li></ol>
      <!--l. 310--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">(Windows note: we found that under Vista and Windows 7, the movie figure gets erased after</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">display; slightly re-sizing the figure window seems to fix this).</span>
      <!--l. 313--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">The analytical solution to elevation as a function of cross-ridge distance </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">y </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">is:</span>
      <table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-10009r9"></a>
      <center class="math-display" >
      <img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201211x.png" alt="        U (            )
z(y) = --- L2 - (y - y0)2
      2D
      " class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label"><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">(9)</span></td></tr></table>
      <!--l. 316--><p class="nopar" >
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">where </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">L </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">is the half-width of the ridge (100 m in this case) and </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">y</span><sub><span
class="cmr-8">0</span></sub> <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">is the position of the ridge</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">crest (also 100 m). The effective uplift rate </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">U</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">, represented in the input file by the parameter</span>
      <span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">UPRATE</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">, is </span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">10</span><sup><span
class="cmsy-8">-</span><span
class="cmr-8">4</span></sup> <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">m/yr. The diffusivity coefficient </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">D</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">, represented in the input file by parameter</span>
      <span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">KD</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">, is 0.01 m</span><sup><span
class="cmr-8">2</span></sup><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">/yr. Next, we&#8217;ll make a plot that compares the computed and analytical</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">solutions.</span>
      <!--l. 320--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Enter the following in Matlab:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">ya = 0:200;  </span><span
class="cmssi-10x-x-109">% This is our x-coordinate</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">U = 0.0001; D = 0.01; y0 = 100; L = 100;</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">za = (U/(2*D))*(L</span><img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201212x.png" alt="^  "  class="circ" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">2-(ya-y0).</span><img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201213x.png" alt="^  "  class="circ" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">2);</span>
 
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(2), plot( ya, za ), hold on</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">xyz = creadxyz( &#8217;hillslope1&#8217;, 21 );  </span><span
class="cmssi-10x-x-109">% Reads node coords, time 21</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">plot( xyz(:,2), xyz(:,3), &#8217;r.&#8217; ), hold off</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">legend( &#8217;Analytical solution&#8217;, &#8217;CHILD Nodes&#8217; )</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 337--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Diffusion theory predicts that equilibrium height varies linearly with </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">U</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">, inversely with</span>
      <span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">D</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">, and as the square of </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">L</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">. Make a copy of </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">hillslope1.in </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">and open the copy in</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">a text editor. Change one of these three parameters. To change </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">U</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">, edit the number</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">below  the  line  that  starts  with  </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">UPRATE</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">.  Similarly,  to  change  </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">D</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">,  edit  the  value  of</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">parameter </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">KD</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">. If you want to try a different ridge width </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">L</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">, change both </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Y</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_GRID</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_SIZE</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">and </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">GRID</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_SPACING </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">by the same proportion (changing </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">GRID</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_SPACING </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">will ensure that</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">you keep the same number of model nodes). Re-run CHILD with your modified input</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">file and see what happens.</span>
<!--l. 341--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">4.2. </span> <a
id="x1-110004.2"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Nonlinear Diffusion.</span></span>
<!--l. 343--><p class="noindent" >As we found in our study of hillslope transport processes, the simple slope-linear transport law
works poorly for slopes that are not &#8220;small&#8221; relative to the angle of repose for sediment and rock.
The next example explores what happens to our ridge when we (1) increase the relative uplift rate,
and (2) use the nonlinear diffusion transport law:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-11001r10"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201214x.png" alt="&#x20D7;qs = ---- D-&#x2207;z----
    1 - |&#x2207;z &#x2215;Sc |2
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(10)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 346--><p class="nopar" >
 
<!--l. 348--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-120004.2"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 3: Nonlinear Diffusion and Planar Slopes</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 350--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 353--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-12002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Hillslope2 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-12004x2"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Run CHILD:    </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child hillslope2.in</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-12006x3"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Hillslope2 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-12008x4"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">When the 70,000-year run (</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">~</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">1 minute on a 2GHz mac) finishes, type in Matlab:</span>
    <!--l. 363--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">m = cmovie( &#8217;hillslope2&#8217;, 21, 200, 200, 100, 70 );</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 365--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">If we had used linear diffusion, the equilibrium slope gradient along the edges of the</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">ridge would be </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">S </span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">= </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">UL&#x2215;D </span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">= (0</span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">.</span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">001)(100)</span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">&#x2215;</span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">(0</span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">.</span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">01) = 10 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">m/m, or about 84</span><sup><span
class="cmsy-8">&#x2218;</span></sup><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">! Instead,</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">the actual computed gradient is close to the threshold limit of 0.7. Notice too how</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">the model solution speed slowed down as the run went on. This reflects the need for</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">especially small time steps when the slopes are close to the threshold angle.</span>
<!--l. 369--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">4.3. </span> <a
id="x1-130004.3"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Remarks.</span></span>
<!--l. 371--><p class="noindent" >There is a lot more to mass movement than what is encoded in these simple diffusion-like transport
laws. Some models include stochastic landsliding algorithms (e.g., CASCADE, ZSCAPE). Some
impose threshold slopes (e.g., GOLEM). One spinoff version of CHILD even includes debris-flow
generation and routing (<a
href="#Xlancaster2003effects"><span
class="cmti-12">Lancaster et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xlancaster2003effects">2003</a>).
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">5. </span> <a
id="x1-140005"></a>Rainfall, Runoff, and Drainage Networks</h3>
<!--l. 375--><p class="noindent" >In order to calculate erosion, sediment transport, and deposition by running water, a model needs
to know how much surface water is flowing through each cell in the model. Usually, the
erosion/transport equations require either the total discharge, <span
class="cmmi-12">Q </span>[L<sup><span
class="cmr-8">3</span></sup>/T], the discharge per unit
channel width, <span
class="cmmi-12">q </span>[L<sup><span
class="cmr-8">2</span></sup>/T], or the flow depth, <span
class="cmmi-12">H</span>.
<!--l. 377--><p class="noindent" >There are three main alternative methods for modeling the flow of water across the
landscape:
      <ol  class="enumerate1" >
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-14002x1">Methods based on contributing drainage area
 
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-14004x2">Numerical solutions to the 2D, vertically integrated and time-averaged Navier-Stokes
      equations
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-14006x3">Cellular automaton methods</li></ol>
<!--l. 384--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">5.1. </span> <a
id="x1-150005.1"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Methods Based on Drainage Area.</span></span>
<!--l. 386--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmti-12">Drainage area</span>, <span
class="cmmi-12">A</span>, is the horizontally projected area of land that contributes flow to a
particular channel cross-section or to unit length of contour on a hillslope. For a numerical
landscape model that uses discrete cells, <span
class="cmmi-12">A </span>is defined as the area that contributes flow to a
particular cell. When topography is represented as a raster grid, the most common
method for computing drainage area is the <span
class="cmti-12">D8 method</span>. Each cell is assigned a flow
direction toward one of its 8 surrounding neighbors. An algorithm is then used to trace
flow paths downstream and add up the number of cells that contribute flow each cell
(Fig.&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-150013">3<!--tex4ht:ref: fig:d8mfd --></a>).
<!--l. 388--><p class="noindent" ><span class="floatingfigure-r" style="width:296.30743pt"><img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201215x.png" alt="PIC" class="graphics"><!--tex4ht:graphics 
name="child_exercises_nced_aug201215x.png" src="Schauble_EtAl_flow_dirs.pdf" 
-->
<br /><span class="caption"><span class="id">Figure&#x00A0;3</span>:            Flow            accumulation            by
D8, or single flow directions, and multiple flow directions
(<a
href="#Xschauble2008gis"><span
class="cmti-12">Schauble et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xschauble2008gis">2008</a>).</span><br />                                </span>
<!--l. 396--><p class="noindent" >For the Voronoi cell matrix that CHILD and CASCADE use, the simplest routing procedure is a
 
generalization of D8 (Figure <a
href="#x1-20011">1<!--tex4ht:ref: fig:schem --></a>). Each cell <span
class="cmmi-12">i </span>has <span
class="cmmi-12">N</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">i</span></sub> neighbors. As we noted earlier, the
slope from cell <span
class="cmmi-12">i </span>to neighbor cell <span
class="cmmi-12">k </span>is defined as the elevation difference between the
nodes divided by the horizontal distance between them (Fig.&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-60032">2<!--tex4ht:ref: fig:cmesh --></a>). Thus, one can define a
slope for every <span
class="cmti-12">edge </span>that connects each pair of nodes. There is a slope value for each
of the <span
class="cmmi-12">N</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">i</span></sub> neighbors of node <span
class="cmmi-12">i</span>. The flow direction is assigned as the steepest of these
slopes.
<!--l. 398--><p class="noindent" >Single-direction flow algorithms have advantages and disadvantages. Some models use a <span
class="cmti-12">multiple</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">flow direction </span>approach to represent the divergence of flow on relatively gentle slopes or
divergent landforms (Fig.&#x00A0;<a
href="#x1-150013">3<!--tex4ht:ref: fig:d8mfd --></a>). This is most appropriate for models that operate on a grid
resolution significantly smaller than the length of a hillslope. When grid cells are relatively
large, conceptually each cell contains a primary channel, narrower than the cell, that is
tracked.
<!--l. 400--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-160005.1"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 4: Flow Over Noisy, Inclined Topography</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 402--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 405--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-16002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In the terminal window, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Network1 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder and run the input file by</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">typing:</span>
    <!--l. 409--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child network1.in</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-16004x2"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Network1 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 414--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1), clf</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">colormap pink</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">a = cread( &#8217;network1.area&#8217;, 1 );</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">ctrisurf( &#8217;network1&#8217;, 1, a );</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">view( 0, 90 ), shading interp, axis equal</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 429--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">The networks are formed because of noise (</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">±</span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">1 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">m in this case) in the initial surface,</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">which causes flow to converge in some places.</span>
 
<!--l. 433--><p class="noindent" >The simplest method for computing discharge from drainage area is to simply assume (1) all rain
runs off, and (2) rain lasts long enough that the entire drainage network is in hydrologic steady
state. In this case, and if precipitation rate <span
class="cmmi-12">P </span>is uniform,
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-16005r11"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201216x.png" alt="Q = P A
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(11)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 436--><p class="nopar" >
A number of landscape modeling studies have used this assumption, on the basis of its
simplicity, even though it tends to make hydrologists faint! The simplicity is indeed a
virtue, but one needs to be extremely careful in using this equation, for at least three
reasons. First, obviously <span
class="cmmi-12">Q </span>varies substantially over time in response to changing seasons,
floods, droughts, etc. We will return to this issue shortly. Second, there is probably no
drainage basin on earth, bigger than a hectare or so, from which <span
class="cmti-12">all </span>precipitation runs off.
Typically, evapotranspiration returns more than half of incoming precipitation to the
atmosphere. Third, hydrologic steady state is rare and tends to occur only in small
basins, though it may be a reasonable approximation for mean annual discharge in some
basins.
<!--l. 439--><p class="noindent" >River discharge, whether defined as mean annual, bankfull, mean peak, or some other way, often
shows a power-law-like correlation with drainage area. Some models take advantage of this fact by
computing discharge using an empirical approach:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-16006r12"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201217x.png" alt="Q = bAc
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(12)</td></tr></table>
 
<!--l. 442--><p class="nopar" >
where <span
class="cmmi-12">c </span>typically ranges from 0.5-1 and <span
class="cmmi-12">b </span>is a runoff coefficient with awkward units that represents
a long-term &#8220;effective&#8221; precipitation regime.
<!--l. 445--><p class="noindent" >CHILD&#8217;s default method for computing discharge during a storm takes runoff at each cell
to be the difference between storm rainfall intensity <span
class="cmmi-12">P </span>and soil infiltration capacity
<span
class="cmmi-12">I</span>:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-16007r13"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201218x.png" alt="Q = (P  - I)A
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(13)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 448--><p class="nopar" >
which of course is taken to be zero when <span
class="cmmi-12">P &#x003C; I</span>.
<!--l. 451--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">5.2. </span> <a
id="x1-170005.2"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Shallow-Water Equations.</span></span>
<!--l. 453--><p class="noindent" >Some landscape models are designed to address relatively small-scale problems such as
channel initiation, inundation of alluvial fan surfaces, channel flood flow, etc. In such
cases, the convergence and divergence of water in response to evolving topography is an
important component of the problem, and is not adequately captured by the simple
routing schemes described above. Instead, a tempting tool of choice is some form of
the <span
class="cmti-12">shallow-water equations</span>, which are the vertically integrated form of the general
(time-averaged) viscous fluid-flow equations. One form of the full shallow-water equations is:
<div class="eqnarray">
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201219x.png" alt="                                (          )
                      &#x2202;-&#x03B7; = i -  &#x2202;qx-+ &#x2202;qy-                    (14)
                      &#x2202;t        &#x2202;x    &#x2202;y
&#x2202;q    &#x2202;q u  &#x2202;q  u      &#x2202;h      &#x2202;&#x03B7;    &#x03C4;
--x-+  --x--+ ---y- + gh ---+ gh ---+  -bx-= 0                    (15)
&#x2202;t    &#x2202;x    &#x2202;y        &#x2202;x      &#x2202;x    &#x03C1;
&#x2202;qy-  &#x2202;qyv-  &#x2202;qxv-    &#x2202;h-    &#x2202;&#x03B7;-  &#x03C4;by-
&#x2202;t +  &#x2202;y  +  &#x2202;x  + gh &#x2202;y + gh &#x2202;y +  &#x03C1;  = 0                    (16)
" class="math-display" ></center>
</div>These equations express continuity of mass, x-directed momentum, and y-directed momentum,
respectively. They are challenging and computationally expensive to integrate numerically in their
full form. However, there are several approximate forms that are commonly used, including the
non-accelerating flow form (in which convective accelerations are assumed negligible) and the
kinematic-wave equations (in which gravitational and friction forces are assumed to dominate). An
example of use of the shallow-water equations in a landform evolution model can be found in the
work of T.R.&#x00A0;Smith and colleagues (Fig. <a
href="#x1-170024">4<!--tex4ht:ref: fig:shalflow --></a>). Various forms of the shallow-water equations can often
be found in hydrologic models, and sometimes in soil-erosion models (e.g.,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xmitas1998distributed"><span
class="cmti-12">Mitas and</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Mitasova</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xmitas1998distributed">1998</a>).
<!--l. 470--><p class="noindent" ><hr class="figure"><div class="figure"
>
 
<a
id="x1-170024"></a>
 
<!--l. 472--><p class="noindent" ><img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201220x.png" alt="PIC" class="graphics"><!--tex4ht:graphics 
name="child_exercises_nced_aug201220x.png" src="Smith_Merchant_shallow_flow.pdf" 
-->
<br /> <div class="caption"
><span class="id">Figure&#x00A0;4: </span><span 
class="content">Simulated water surface elevations and flow depth (<a
href="#Xbirnir2001scaling"><span
class="cmti-12">Birnir et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xbirnir2001scaling">2001</a>).</span></div><!--tex4ht:label?: x1-170024 -->
 
<!--l. 476--><p class="noindent" ></div><hr class="endfigure">
<!--l. 478--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">5.3. </span> <a
id="x1-180005.3"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Cellular Automata.</span></span>
<!--l. 480--><p class="noindent" >Some models use cellular automaton methods to calculate flow over a cellular topography. These
include:
      <ul class="itemize1">
      <li class="itemize"><a
href="#Xchase1992fluvial"><span
class="cmti-12">Chase</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xchase1992fluvial">1992</a>) precipiton algorithm
      </li>
      <li class="itemize"><a
href="#Xcrave2001stochastic"><span
class="cmti-12">Crave and Davy</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xcrave2001stochastic">2001</a>) modified precipiton algorithm
      </li>
      <li class="itemize"><a
href="#Xmurray1994cellular"><span
class="cmti-12">Murray and Paola</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xmurray1994cellular">1994</a>) multiple-flow-direction river-flow algorithm
      </li>
      <li class="itemize"><a
href="#Xcoulthard1996cellular"><span
class="cmti-12">Coulthard et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xcoulthard1996cellular">1996</a>) generalization of Murray-Paola for 2D flow (CAESAR model)</li></ul>
<!--l. 488--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">5.4. </span> <a
id="x1-190005.4"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Depressions in the Terrain.</span></span>
<!--l. 490--><p class="noindent" >What happens when flow enters a topographic depression? In the real world, three possibilities:
complete evaporation/infiltration, formation of a lake with overflow, or formation of a closed lake.
CHILD can be set either to have water in &#8220;pits&#8221; evaporate, or to use a lake-fill algorithm to route
water through depressions in the terrain (with no evaporation).
<!--l. 492--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">5.5. </span> <a
id="x1-200005.5"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Precipitation and Discharge.</span></span>
<!--l. 494--><p class="noindent" >Water supply to the channel network varies dramatically in both time and space, but there is a big
gap in time scale between, on the one hand, storms and floods and, on the other hand, topographic
evolution. Many landscape evolution models have therefore used the &#8220;effective discharge&#8221;
concept, or the idea that there is some value of discharge that represents the cumulative
geomorphic effect of the natural sequence of storms and floods. <a
href="#Xwillgoose1991coupled"><span
class="cmti-12">Willgoose et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xwillgoose1991coupled">1991</a>)
used mean peak discharge, but <a
href="#Xhuang2006evaluation"><span
class="cmti-12">Huang and Niemann</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xhuang2006evaluation">2006</a>) recognized that the return
period of effective discharge events is not necessarily the same at different times and
places.
<!--l. 506--><p class="noindent" >Basically, landscape models tend to use one of four methods:
      <ol  class="enumerate1" >
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-20002x1">Steady  flow  with  uniform  precipitation  or  a  specified  runoff  coefficient  (effective
      discharge concept)
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-20004x2">Steady flow with nonuniform precipitation or runoff (e.g., orographic precipitation)
 
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-20006x3">Stochastic-in-time, spatially uniform runoff generation
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-20008x4">&#8220;Short storms&#8221; model (<a
href="#Xsolyom2004effect"><span
class="cmti-12">S</span><span
class="cmti-12">Ûlyom and Tucker</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xsolyom2004effect">2004</a>)</li></ol>
<!--l. 513--><p class="noindent" >We will not examine all of these in detail. Instead, we will take a brief look at the Poisson
rectangular pulse model implemented in CHILD.
<!--l. 515--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-210005.5"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 5: Visualizing a Poisson Storm Sequence</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 517--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 520--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-21002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In the terminal window, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Rainfall1 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder and run the input file</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">by typing:</span>
    <!--l. 524--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child rainfall1.in</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-21004x2"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Rainfall1 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 528--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1), clf, cstormplot( &#8217;rainfall1&#8217; );</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(2), clf, cstormplot( &#8217;rainfall1&#8217;, 10 );</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 536--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">The first plot shows a 1-year simulated storm sequence; the second shows just the first</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">10 storms.</span>
<!--l. 541--><p class="noindent" >The motivation for using a stochastic flow model is (1) that nature <span
class="cmti-12">is </span>effectively stochastic, and (2)
variability matters when the erosion or transport rate is a nonlinear function of flow. For more on
this, see <a
href="#Xtucker2000stochastic"><span
class="cmti-12">Tucker and Bras</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xtucker2000stochastic">2000</a>);&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xsnyder2003importance"><span
class="cmti-12">Snyder et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xsnyder2003importance">2003</a>);&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xtucker2004drainage"><span
class="cmti-12">Tucker</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xtucker2004drainage">2004</a>), and <a
href="#Xdibiase2011influence"><span
class="cmti-12">DiBiase and</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Whipple</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xdibiase2011influence">2011</a>).
<!--l. 548--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">5.6. </span> <a
id="x1-220005.6"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Remarks.</span></span>
<!--l. 550--><p class="noindent" >Landscape evolution models can be, and have been, used to study climate impacts on erosion,
topography, and mountain building. But be careful&#8212;climate and hydrology amount to much more
than a &#8220;sprinkler over the landscape.&#8221;
 
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">6. </span> <a
id="x1-230006"></a>Hydraulic Geometry</h3>
<!--l. 554--><p class="noindent" >Channel size, shape, and roughness control delivery of hydraulic force to the bed and banks. Most
landscape models either implicitly assume constant width (practical but dangerous) or use the
empirical relation <span
class="cmmi-12">W </span>= <span
class="cmmi-12">K</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">w</span></sub><span
class="cmmi-12">Q</span><sup><span
class="cmmi-8">b</span></sup>, where <span
class="cmmi-12">b </span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">&#x2248; </span>0<span
class="cmmi-12">.</span>5. Models with time-varying discharge must also
specify how width varies at a point along the channel as <span
class="cmmi-12">Q </span>rises and falls. Width-discharge scaling
is practical but incomplete, because channels may narrow or widen downstream in concert
with variations in incision rate, as observed in Italy (<a
href="#Xwhittaker2007bedrock"><span
class="cmti-12">Whittaker et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhittaker2007bedrock">2007</a>), Nepal
(<a
href="#Xlave2001fluvial"><span
class="cmti-12">Lav</span><span
class="cmti-12">È and Avouac</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xlave2001fluvial">2001</a>), New Zealand (<a
href="#Xamos2007channel"><span
class="cmti-12">Amos and Burbank</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xamos2007channel">2007</a>), Taiwan (<a
href="#Xyanites2010incision"><span
class="cmti-12">Yanites</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xyanites2010incision">2010</a>), and California (<a
href="#Xduvall2004tectonic"><span
class="cmti-12">Duvall et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xduvall2004tectonic">2004</a>). Some models have begun to explore these
sensitivities (<a
href="#Xwobus2006self"><span
class="cmti-12">Wobus et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwobus2006self">2006</a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwobus2008modeling">2008</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xattal2008modeling"><span
class="cmti-12">Attal et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xattal2008modeling">2008</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xturowski2009response"><span
class="cmti-12">Turowski et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xturowski2009response">2009</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xyanites2010controls"><span
class="cmti-12">Yanites and</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Tucker</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xyanites2010controls">2010</a>), but full treatment of the channel geometry adjustment problem is a frontier
area.
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">7. </span> <a
id="x1-240007"></a>Erosion and Transport by Running Water</h3>
<!--l. 569--><p class="noindent" >There are several competing models for erosion by channelized flow. Detachment-limited models
assume that eroded material leaves the system without significant re-deposition and that
lowering of channels is limited by the ability of the stream to detach material from the bed
(<a
href="#Xhoward1994detachment"><span
class="cmti-12">Howard</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xhoward1994detachment">1994</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple1999dynamics"><span
class="cmti-12">Whipple and Tucker</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple1999dynamics">1999</a>). Transport-limited models assume plentiful supply of
loose sediment and that lowering of channels is limited by the stream&#8217;s capacity to transport
sediment (<a
href="#Xwillgoose1991coupled"><span
class="cmti-12">Willgoose et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwillgoose1991coupled">1991</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple2002implications"><span
class="cmti-12">Whipple and Tucker</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple2002implications">2002</a>). In simple hybrid models, lowering
may be limited either by excess transport capacity or by detachment rate, depending
on local sediment supply and substrate resistance (<a
href="#Xtucker2001channel"><span
class="cmti-12">Tucker et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xtucker2001channel">2001b</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple2002implications"><span
class="cmti-12">Whipple and</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Tucker</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple2002implications">2002</a>). With the undercapacity concept, detachment rate depends on surplus transport
capacity (<a
href="#Xbeaumont1992erosional"><span
class="cmti-12">Beaumont et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xbeaumont1992erosional">1992</a>). In the saltation-abrasion model, detachment is driven by
grain impacts and limited by sediment shielding (<a
href="#Xgasparini2007predictions"><span
class="cmti-12">Gasparini et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xgasparini2007predictions">2007</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple2002implications"><span
class="cmti-12">Whipple and</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Tucker</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple2002implications">2002</a>).
<!--l. 583--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">7.1. </span> <a
id="x1-250007.1"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Detachment-Limited Models.</span></span>
<!--l. 585--><p class="noindent" >On a cohesive or rock bed with a discontinuous or absent cover of loose sediment, detachment of
particles from the bed may be driven primarily by hydraulic lift and drag (&#8220;plucking&#8221;). Most
models assume that the rate of detachment (or more generally the capacity for detachment)
depends on excess bed shear stress:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-25001r17"></a>
 
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201221x.png" alt="                p                              p    p
Dc =  Kb (&#x03C4; - &#x03C4;c)b , or alternatively, Dc = Kb (&#x03C4; b - &#x03C4;cb)
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(17)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 589--><p class="nopar" >
where <span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03C4; </span>is local bed shear stress, <span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03C4;</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">c</span></sub> is a threshold stress below which detachment is ineffective, <span
class="cmmi-12">K</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">b</span></sub>
is a constant, and <span
class="cmmi-12">p</span><sub><span
class="cmmi-8">b</span></sub> is an exponent.
<!--l. 592--><p class="noindent" >Bed shear stress fluctuates in space and time, but is often treated using the cross-sectional average,
which in turn is based on a force balance between gravity and friction.
<!--l. 594--><p class="noindent" >Some models assume that the detachment rate depends on stream power per unit width,
<span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03C9; </span>= <span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03C1;g</span>(<span
class="cmmi-12">Q&#x2215;W</span>)<span
class="cmmi-12">S</span>:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-25002r18"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201222x.png" alt="        ( Q        )pb
Dc =  Kb  --S -  &#x03A6;c
          W
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(18)</td></tr></table>
<!--l. 598--><p class="nopar" >
where &#x03A6;<sub><span
class="cmmi-8">c</span></sub> is, again, a threshold below which detachment is ineffective. Stream power per unit width
turns out to be proportional to <span
class="cmmi-12">&#x03C4;</span><sup><span
class="cmr-8">3</span><span
class="cmmi-8">&#x2215;</span><span
class="cmr-8">2</span></sup>, so the two erosion formulas are closely related (<a
href="#Xwhipple1999dynamics"><span
class="cmti-12">Whipple and</span>
<span
class="cmti-12">Tucker</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xwhipple1999dynamics">1999</a>). In the following example, we will use the unit stream power formula with
&#x03A6;<sub><span
class="cmmi-8">c</span></sub> = 0.
<!--l. 602--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-260007.1"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 6: Detachment-Limited Hills and Mountains</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 604--><p class="noindent" >
 
      <!--l. 607--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-26002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In the terminal window, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Dlim </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder and run the input file by</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">typing:</span>
    <!--l. 612--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child dlim.in</span>
    <!--l. 614--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">The 3 m.y.</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;run should take about 20 seconds.</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-26004x2"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Dlim </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 619--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1), clf, colormap jet</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">cmovie( &#8217;dlim&#8217;, 31, 3e4, 3e4, 1e3, 500 );</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(2), clf</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">csa( &#8217;dlim&#8217;, 31 );  </span><span
class="cmssi-10x-x-109">% Shows slope-area graph</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 632--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Notice that the landscape has come close to a state of equilibrium between erosion and</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">relative uplift. The resulting terrain has about 200 m of relief over a 30 km half-width</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">mountain range&#8212;more Appalachian than Himalayan. Notice that the log-log</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">slope-area graph shows a straight line, indicating a power-law relationship. This is</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">exactly to be expected, and we can predict the plot slope and intercept analytically.</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Finally, note the points on the upper left of the graph. These &#8220;first order&#8221; cells, at</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">about 2500 m</span><sup><span
class="cmr-8">2</span></sup> <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">contributing area, have slopes less than 10%. They represent</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">embedded channels, not hillslopes, which are too small to resolve at this grid</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">spacing.</span>
      <!--l. 645--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Now, what happens when we increase the relative uplift rate?</span>
      <!--l. 647--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-26006x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Run the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">dlimC1.in </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">input file by typing:</span>
    <!--l. 651--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child dlimC1.in</span>
    <!--l. 653--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">This run starts off where the previous one ended, but with a 10</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">&#x00D7; </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">higher rate of</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">relative uplift.</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 656--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1)</span>
 
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">cmovie( &#8217;dlimC1&#8217;, 31, 3e4, 3e4, 1e4, 5000 );  </span><span
class="cmssi-10x-x-109">% 10</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">&#x00D7; </span><span
class="cmssi-10x-x-109">vertical scale</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(2)</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">hold on, csa( &#8217;dlimC1&#8217;, 31, &#8217;r.&#8217; ); hold off</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 669--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Because we are using a slope-linear detachment law, a 10</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">&#x00D7; </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">increase in relative uplift rate leads</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">to a 10</span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">&#x00D7; </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">increase in relief. Notice that the points have shifted upward by a factor of 10 on the</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">slope-area graph.</span>
      <!--l. 671--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">We still do not see any hillslopes, because the scale of landscape dissection is too fine</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">for the model to resolve.</span>
<!--l. 676--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-270007.1"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 7: Zooming in to the Hillslopes</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 678--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 681--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Next, we will &#8220;zoom in&#8221; by repeating the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">dlim </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">run but with a twenty-fold decrease in</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">domain size and model cell size.</span>
      <!--l. 684--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-27002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Run the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">dlim</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_small.in </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">input file by typing:</span>
    <!--l. 688--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child dlim</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_small.in</span>
    <!--l. 690--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">This run is identical to </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">dlim </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">but with a domain of 1.5 by 1.5km and </span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">~</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">25m wide</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">cells, instead of 30x30km and </span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">~</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">500m cells.</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 694--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1)</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">cmovie( &#8217;dlim</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_small&#8217;, 31, 1.5e3, 1.5e3, 500, 200 );</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(2)</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">hold on, csa( &#8217;dlim</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_small&#8217;, 31, &#8217;g.&#8217; ); hold off</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 708--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Note how the hillslopes become evident in the topography. In the slope-area plot,</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">the points seem to continue the trend of the coarser-scale run, but somewhat shifted</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">upward. Can you guess why they are shifted upward? (The answer is subtle, and lies</span>
 
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">hidden in </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">dlim</span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">_small2.in</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">).</span>
<!--l. 716--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-280007.1"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 8: Knickzones and Transient Response</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 718--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 721--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">For the next exercise, we return to our earlier </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">dlimC1 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">run and plot a representative</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">stream profile at different times, to look at how the profile responds to the increased</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">rate of relative uplift.</span>
      <!--l. 723--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1), clf</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">[d,h,x,y] = cstrmproseries( &#8217;dlimC1&#8217;, 10, 15000, 29000 );</span>
    <!--l. 731--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">This command traces the stream profile starting from </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">x </span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">= 15 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">km, </span><span
class="cmmi-10x-x-109">y </span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">= 29 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">km. It</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">will plot the first 10 profiles.</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(2), clf, plot( x, y )</span>
    <!--l. 737--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">This shows the horizontal trace of the stream course.</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 741--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">During  the  period  of  transient  response,  the  stream  profile  shows  a  pronounced</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">convexity, or knickzone, along the profile. The knickzone marches upstream through</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">time. This pattern is characteristic of the &#8220;stream power&#8221; erosion law, which is actually</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">a form of wave equation.</span>
<!--l. 750--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">7.2. </span> <a
id="x1-290007.2"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Transport-Limited Models.</span></span>
<!--l. 752--><p class="noindent" >We next explore the dynamics of landscapes and networks with transport-limited models. One
caution as we do so: we will assume that channel width is independent of grain size, slope,
etc.
<!--l. 754--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-300007.2"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 9: A Pile of Fine Sand</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 756--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 759--><p class="noindent" >
 
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-30002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In the terminal window, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Tlim </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder and run:</span>
    <!--l. 763--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child tlim1.in</span>
    <!--l. 765--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">The 1 m.y.</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;run should take about 2 minutes.</span>
    </li>
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-30004x2"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Tlim </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 770--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1), clf</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">cmovie( &#8217;tlim1&#8217;, 21, 3e4, 3e4, 40, 10 );</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(2), clf</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">csa( &#8217;tlim1&#8217;, 21 ); axis([1e-1 1e3 1e-4 1e-3])</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 784--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In this run, we are effectively assuming that 0.1 mm sand moves as bed-load, according</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">to  a  Meyer-Peter  and  Mueller-like  transport  formula.  The  landscape  takes  on  an</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">effectively uniform and very shallow gradient, on the order of </span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">3 </span><span
class="cmsy-10x-x-109">&#x00D7; </span><span
class="cmr-10x-x-109">10</span><sup><span
class="cmsy-8">-</span><span
class="cmr-8">4</span></sup><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">.</span>
<!--l. 789--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-310007.2"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 10: A Pile of Cobbles</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 791--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 794--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Now let&#8217;s try the same experiment with 5cm cobbles.</span>
      <!--l. 796--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-31002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Run:</span>
    <!--l. 800--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child tlim2.in</span>
    <!--l. 802--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">The 3 m.y.</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;run should take about 2-3 minutes.</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 805--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1), clf</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">cmovie( &#8217;tlim2&#8217;, 31, 3e4, 3e4, 1000, 300 );</span>
 
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(2)</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">hold on, csa( &#8217;tlim2&#8217;, 31, &#8217;r.&#8217; ); hold off</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">axis([1e-1 1e3 1e-4 1e-1])</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 821--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Lesson: grain size matters!</span>
      <!--l. 823--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">But let&#8217;s remember the caveat that channel width matters too, and we haven&#8217;t taken</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">that into account with these simple runs. Also, Nicole Gasparini&#8217;s work (</span><a
href="#Xgasparini1999downstream"><span
class="cmssi-10x-x-109">Gasparini</span>
      <span
class="cmssi-10x-x-109">et</span><span
class="cmssi-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;al.</span></a><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">,</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;</span><a
href="#Xgasparini1999downstream"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">1999</span></a><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">,</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;</span><a
href="#Xgasparini2004network"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">2004</span></a><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">) tells us that channel concavity is less sensitive to grain size when</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">there is a mixture of sizes available to the river.</span>
<!--l. 831--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 833--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Optional exercise: </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Make a copy of </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">tlim2.in </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">and configure it to re-start from</span>
      <span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">tlim2 </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">but  with  a  higher  uplift  rate.  Use  the  Matlab  script  </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">cstrmproseries </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">to</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">plot fluvial profiles undergoing transient response. How do these compare with the</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">detachment-limited model?</span>
<!--l. 840--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">7.3. </span> <a
id="x1-320007.3"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Hybrid Model: Combining Detachment and Transport.</span></span>
<!--l. 842--><p class="noindent" >Next, we&#8217;ll look at a more complex situation with simultaneous erosion and sedimentation, and
simultaneous detachment-limited and transport-limited behavior. In this case, we use a fluvial
model in which erosion rate can be limited either by transport capacity or by detachment capacity,
depending on their relative magnitudes:
<table
class="equation"><tr><td><a
id="x1-32001r19"></a>
<center class="math-display" >
<img
src="child_exercises_nced_aug201223x.png" alt="    {    &#x2211;N              &#x2211;N
      Qc---ji=1Qsij  if Qc---j=i1Qsij&#x003C;  D
Ei =        &#x039B;i            &#x039B;i          c
      Dc          otherwise
" class="math-display" ></center></td><td class="equation-label">(19)</td></tr></table>
 
<!--l. 849--><p class="nopar" >
<!--l. 851--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><a
id="x1-330007.3"></a><span
class="cmbxti-10x-x-120">Exercise 11: Erosion and Deposition, Together at Last</span><span
class="cmbx-12">.</span></span>
<!--l. 853--><p class="noindent" >
      <!--l. 856--><p class="noindent" >
    <ol  class="enumerate1" >
    <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-33002x1"><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In the terminal window, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Hybrid </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder and run:</span>
    <!--l. 860--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">child erodep1.in</span>
    <!--l. 862--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">The 1 m.y.</span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">&#x00A0;run should take about 5 minutes (but of course you can peek at earlier</span>
    <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">time steps while the run is going, by reducing the number of frames in your movie).</span></li></ol>
      <!--l. 868--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">In Matlab, navigate to the </span><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">Hybrid </span><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">folder and type:</span>
    <ul class="itemize1">
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">figure(1), clf</span>
    </li>
    <li class="itemize"><span
class="cmtt-10x-x-109">cmovie( &#8217;erodep1&#8217;, 21, 6e4, 6e4, 4000 );</span></li></ul>
      <!--l. 878--><p class="noindent" ><span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Here we have a block rising at 1 mm/yr and an adjacent block subsiding at 0.25 mm/yr.</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">Uplift and subsidence shut down after 500 ky. The subsiding block forms a large lake</span>
      <span
class="cmss-10x-x-109">that gradually fills in with fan-deltas.</span>
<!--l. 886--><p class="noindent" ><span class="subsectionHead"><span class="titlemark">7.4. </span> <a
id="x1-340007.4"></a><span
class="cmbx-12">Other Sediment-Flux-Dependent Fluvial Models.</span></span>
<!--l. 888--><p class="noindent" >We won&#8217;t take the time to address some of the other models, including
      <ul class="itemize1">
      <li class="itemize">&#8220;Under-capacity&#8221; models (detachment rate depends on degree to which sediment flux
      falls below transport capacity), and
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">Saltation-abrasion models (detachment rate driven by particle impacts, and limited
      by alluvial shielding of bed)</li></ul>
<!--l. 895--><p class="noindent" ><a
href="#Xgasparini2007predictions"><span
class="cmti-12">Gasparini et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xgasparini2007predictions">2007</a>) explore the behavior of these models with CHILD simulations.
 
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">8. </span> <a
id="x1-350008"></a>Multiple Grain Sizes</h3>
<!--l. 899--><p class="noindent" >Although we won&#8217;t explore the effects of including multiple grain sizes of sediment in transport,
grain size introduces some interesting issues, including:
      <ul class="itemize1">
      <li class="itemize">Bed armoring and its impact on transport rates
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">Downstream fining
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">Abrasion and lithologic controls</li></ul>
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">9. </span> <a
id="x1-360009"></a>Exotica</h3>
<!--l. 909--><p class="noindent" >Landscape evolution models include more than diffusion and stream-power models:
      <ul class="itemize1">
      <li class="itemize">Stream meandering in the context of landscape evolution and valley stratigraphy
      (<a
href="#Xclevis2006simple"><span
class="cmti-12">Clevis et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xclevis2006simple">2006</a>, a,b).
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">Vegetation,
      including both grass (<a
href="#Xcollins2004modeling"><span
class="cmti-12">Collins et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xcollins2004modeling">2004</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xistanbulluoglu2005vegetation"><span
class="cmti-12">Istanbulluoglu and Bras</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xistanbulluoglu2005vegetation">2005</a>) and trees
      (<a
href="#Xlancaster2003effects"><span
class="cmti-12">Lancaster et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xlancaster2003effects">2003</a>)
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">Alternate forms of mass wasting, including landslides and debris flows (<a
href="#Xdensmore1998landsliding"><span
class="cmti-12">Densmore</span>
      <span
class="cmti-12">et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xdensmore1998landsliding">1998</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xlancaster2003effects"><span
class="cmti-12">Lancaster et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xlancaster2003effects">2003</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xistanbulluoglu2005implications"><span
class="cmti-12">Istanbulluoglu et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xistanbulluoglu2005implications">2005</a>)
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">Knickpoints,    hanging    valleys,    and    plunge    pools    (<a
href="#Xflores2006development"><span
class="cmti-12">Flores-Cervantes</span>
      <span
class="cmti-12">et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xflores2006development">2006</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xcrosby2007formation"><span
class="cmti-12">Crosby et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xcrosby2007formation">2007</a>)
      </li>
      <li class="itemize">Glaciation    (<a
href="#Xherman2006fluvial"><span
class="cmti-12">Herman  and  Braun</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xherman2006fluvial">2006</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xherman2007tectonomorphic"><span
class="cmti-12">Herman  et</span><span
class="cmti-12">&#x00A0;al.</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xherman2007tectonomorphic">2007</a>;&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xherman2008evolution"><span
class="cmti-12">Herman  and</span>
      <span
class="cmti-12">Braun</span></a>,&#x00A0;<a
href="#Xherman2008evolution">2008</a>)</li></ul>
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">10. </span> <a
id="x1-3700010"></a>Forecasting or Speculation?</h3>
<!--l. 924--><p class="noindent" >Some mathematical models in the physical sciences have such firm foundations that they can be
relied upon to forecast the behavior of the natural world. For example, laws of motion of objects in
a vacuum are absolutely reliable (as long as their speed is much less than that of light). The
same can be said for numerical solutions to these equations, provided the solution is
reasonably accurate. For these kinds of model, the verb &#8220;to model&#8221; means to calculate
 
with high reliability what would happen under a particular set of initial and boundary
conditions.
<!--l. 926--><p class="noindent" >At the other end of the spectrum, we have mathematical models that are essentially tentative
hypotheses. Such models are often based on intuition about a physical system, and represent a sort
of educated guess about the quantitative relationships between things. For example, when
<a
href="#Xahnert1976"><span
class="cmti-12">Ahnert</span></a>&#x00A0;(<a
href="#Xahnert1976">1976</a>) presented his inverse-exponential equation for regolith generation from
bedrock, he was essentially expressing a conceptual hypothesis in mathematical terms. For
these models-as-hypotheses, the phrase &#8220;to model&#8221; means to perform a quantitative
&#8220;what if&#8221; experiment, asking the question: what kinds of pattern would I see if my
hypothesis were correct? Comparing the prediction with observations provides a test of the
hypothesis.
<!--l. 928--><p class="noindent" >One can find many models that fall between these extremes. There are models that are based on
well-known physics, but which are forced to use approximations of unknown accuracy in
order to solve the governing equations. For example, climate models typically use simple
parameterization schemes to represent convective mass and energy transport. Then too there are
models that combine basic physical principles with elements of intuition, empiricism, and
approximation. Arguably, many sediment-transport laws fall into this category: they are
based on firm mechanical foundations (the force balance on a sediment grain) but also
rely on strong approximations of factors like grain geometry, local flow velocity, and so
on.
<!--l. 930--><p class="noindent" >By now, it should be obvious that landscape evolution models also fall somewhere between
the end-member cases of &#8220;model as truth&#8221; and &#8220;model as speculative hypothesis.&#8221; As
we have seen throughout this course, there is a varying degree of experimental and
observational support for the individual transport, weathering and erosion laws that go into a
typical landscape model. In that sense, then, these models amount to more than just
speculation. But equally there is still an element of speculation behind many of the
process laws used in landscape models. Also, the process laws and algorithms represent a
significant amount of upscaling in space and (especially) time. For example, the use
of a steady precipitation rate as a proxy for the natural sequence of flows in a river
channel represents a major approximation. For these reasons, we believe that three of
the most important frontiers in landscape evolution research are (1) continuing to test
individual process laws in the field and lab, (2) testing whole-landscape models using natural
experiments, and (3) using mathematics, computation and experiments to study how the rates
of various processes scale upward in time and space, and how these can be effectively
parameterized.
<h3 class="sectionHead"><span class="titlemark">11. </span> <a
id="x1-3800011"></a>Ten Commandments of Landscape Evolution Modeling</h3>
<!--l. 936--><p class="noindent" >
      <ol  class="enumerate1" >
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38002x1">Thou shalt not use a model without understanding the ingredients therein.
 
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38004x2">Be thou ever mindful of uncertainty.
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38006x3">Thou shalt use thy model to develop insight.
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38008x4">Thou shalt take delight when thy model surprises thee.
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38010x5">Thou shalt kick thy model hard, that it may notice thee (an injunction borrowed
      gratefully from the 10 Climate Modeling Commandments).
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38012x6">Thou shalt diagnose the reasons for thy model&#8217;s behavior.
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38014x7">Thou shalt conduct sensitivity experiments and &#8220;play around.&#8221;
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38016x8">Thou shalt use thy model to discover the necessary and sufficient conditions needed
      to explain thy target problem.
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38018x9">If thou darest use a model to calculate what happened in your field area in the past,
      thou shalt find a way to test and calibrate it first.
      </li>
      <li
  class="enumerate" id="x1-38020x10">If thou darest to predict future erosion, thou shalt heed the previous commandment
      ten times over (but thou mightest point out to skeptics that a process-based prediction
      is usually better than one based on pure guesswork, provided that commandment #2
      is obeyed).</li></ol>
<!--l. 949--><p class="noindent" >
 
<h3 class="sectionHead"><a
id="x1-3900011"></a>References</h3>
<!--l. 1--><p class="noindent" >
  <div class="thebibliography">
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xahnert1971general"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Ahnert,                                                                                                      F.
  (1971), Brief description of a comprehensive three-dimensional process-response model of
  landform development, <span
class="cmti-12">Zeitschrift fur Geomorfologie, Supplementband</span>, <span
class="cmti-12">25</span>, 29&#8211;49.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xahnert1976"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Ahnert,      F.      (1976),      Brief      description      of      a      comprehensive
  three-dimensional process-response model of landform development, <span
class="cmti-12">Zeitschrift f&amp;uuml;r</span>
  <span
class="cmti-12">Geomorfologie, Supplementband</span>, <span
class="cmti-12">25</span>, 29&#8211;49.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xamos2007channel"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Amos, C.&#x00A0;B., and D.&#x00A0;W. Burbank (2007), Channel width response to differential uplift,
  <span
class="cmti-12">Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2003&#8211;2012)</span>, <span
class="cmti-12">112</span>(F2).
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xattal2008modeling"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Attal, M., G.&#x00A0;E. Tucker, A.&#x00A0;C. Whittaker, P.&#x00A0;A. Cowie, and G.&#x00A0;P. Roberts (2008),
  Modeling fluvial incision and transient landscape evolution: Influence of dynamic channel
  adjustment, <span
class="cmti-12">Journal of Geophysical Research</span>, <span
class="cmti-12">113</span>, F03,013.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xbeaumont1992erosional"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Beaumont,  C.,  P.&#x00A0;Fullsack,  and  J.&#x00A0;Hamilton  (1992),  Erosional  control  of  active
  compressional orogens, <span
class="cmti-12">Thrust tectonics</span>, <span
class="cmti-12">99</span>, 1&#8211;18.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xbirnir2001scaling"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Birnir, B., T.&#x00A0;R. Smith, and G.&#x00A0;E. Merchant (2001), The scaling of fluvial landscapes,
  <span
class="cmti-12">Computers &amp; geosciences</span>, <span
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  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xbraun1997modelling"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Braun, J., and M.&#x00A0;Sambridge (1997), Modelling landscape evolution on geological time
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class="cmti-12">Basin Research</span>, <span
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  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xcarretier2005does"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Carretier, S., and F.&#x00A0;Lucazeau (2005), How does alluvial sedimentation at range fronts
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  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xchase1992fluvial"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Chase, C.&#x00A0;G. (1992), Fluvial landsculpting and the fractal dimension of topography,
  <span
class="cmti-12">Geomorphology</span>, <span
class="cmti-12">5</span>, 39&#8211;57.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
 
<a
id="Xclevis2006simple"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Clevis, Q., G.&#x00A0;Tucker, S.&#x00A0;Lancaster, A.&#x00A0;Desitter, N.&#x00A0;Gasparini, and G.&#x00A0;Lock (2006),
  Geoarchaeological simulation of meandering river deposits and settlement distributions: a
  three-dimensional approach, <span
class="cmti-12">Computers and Geosciences</span>, <span
class="cmti-12">21</span>(8), 843&#8211;874.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xclevis2006geoarchaeological"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Clevis,  Q.,  G.&#x00A0;E.  Tucker,  G.&#x00A0;Lock,  S.&#x00A0;T.  Lancaster,  N.&#x00A0;Gasparini,  A.&#x00A0;Desitter,  and
  R.&#x00A0;L.  Bras  (2006),  Geoarchaeological  simulation  of  meandering  river  deposits  and
  settlement distributions: A three-dimensional approach, <span
class="cmti-12">Geoarchaeology</span>, <span
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  doi:<span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">{</span>10.1002/gea.20142<span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">}</span>.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xcollins2004modeling"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Collins, D., R.&#x00A0;Bras, and G.&#x00A0;Tucker (2004), Modeling the effects of vegetation-erosion
  coupling  on  landscape  evolution,  <span
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class="cmsy-10x-x-120">}</span>.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xcoulthard1996cellular"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Coulthard,  T.,  M.&#x00A0;Kirkby,  and  M.&#x00A0;Macklin  (1996),  A  cellular  automaton  landscape
  evolution model, in <span
class="cmti-12">Proceedings of the First International Conference on GeoComputation</span>,
  vol.&#x00A0;1, pp. 248&#8211;81.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xcrave2001stochastic"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Crave,  A.,  and  P.&#x00A0;Davy  (2001),  A  stochastic  &#8217;precipiton&#8217;  model  for  simulating
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  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xcrosby2007formation"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Crosby, B.&#x00A0;T., K.&#x00A0;X. Whipple, N.&#x00A0;M. Gasparini, and C.&#x00A0;W. Wobus (2007), Formation
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class="cmsy-10x-x-120">}</span>.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xculling1963soil"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Culling, W. (1963), Soil creep and the development of hillside slopes, <span
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class="cmti-12">Geology</span>, pp. 127&#8211;161.
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  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xdensmore1998landsliding"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Densmore, A.&#x00A0;L., M.&#x00A0;A. Ellis, and R.&#x00A0;S. Anderson (1998), Landsliding and the evolution
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  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xdibiase2011influence"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>DiBiase, R., and K.&#x00A0;Whipple (2011), The influence of erosion thresholds and runoff
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class="cmti-12">Journal of</span>
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  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xduvall2004tectonic"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Duvall, A., E.&#x00A0;Kirby, and D.&#x00A0;Burbank (2004), Tectonic and lithologic controls on bedrock
 
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  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xfagherazzi2002implicit"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Fagherazzi, S., A.&#x00A0;Howard, and P.&#x00A0;Wiberg (2002), An implicit finite difference method
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<a
id="Xflores2006development"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Flores-Cervantes, H., E.&#x00A0;Istanbulluoglu, and R.&#x00A0;L. Bras (2006), Development of gullies
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class="cmti-12">Journal</span>
  <span
class="cmti-12">of Geophysical Research</span>, <span
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  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xgarcia2002interplay"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Garcia-Castellanos, D. (2002), Interplay between lithospheric flexure and river transport
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  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xgasparini1999downstream"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Gasparini,  N.,  G.&#x00A0;Tucker,  and  R.&#x00A0;Bras  (1999),  Downstream  fining  through  selective
  particle sorting in an equilibrium drainage network, <span
class="cmti-12">Geology</span>, <span
class="cmti-12">27</span>(12), 1079.
  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xgasparini2004network"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Gasparini, N., G.&#x00A0;Tucker, and R.&#x00A0;Bras (2004), Network-scale dynamics of grain-size
  sorting: Implications for downstream fining, stream-profile concavity, and drainage basin
  morphology,  <span
class="cmti-12">EARTH  SURFACE  PROCESSES  AND  LANDFORMS</span>,  <span
class="cmti-12">29</span>(4),  401&#8211;421,
  doi:<span
class="cmsy-10x-x-120">{</span>10.1002/esp.1031<span
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  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xgasparini2007predictions"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Gasparini, N.&#x00A0;M., K.&#x00A0;X. Whipple, and R.&#x00A0;L. Bras (2007), Predictions of steady state
  and transient landscape morphology using sediment-flux-dependent river incision models,
  <span
class="cmti-12">JOURNAL  OF  GEOPHYSICAL  RESEARCH-EARTH  SURFACE</span>,  <span
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<a
id="Xgilbert1877report"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Gilbert, G. (1877), Report on the geology of the Henry Mountains: US Geog. and Geol,
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  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xherman2006fluvial"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Herman,  F.,  and  J.&#x00A0;Braun  (2006),  Fluvial  response  to  horizontal  shortening  and
  glaciations:  a  study  in  the  Southern  Alps  of  New  Zealand,  <span
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id="Xherman2008evolution"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Herman, F., and J.&#x00A0;Braun (2008), Evolution of the glacial landscape of the Southern
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id="Xistanbulluoglu2005vegetation"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Istanbulluoglu, E., and R.&#x00A0;L. Bras (2005), Vegetation-modulated landscape evolution:
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<a
id="Xschoorl2002modeling"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Schoorl, J., A.&#x00A0;Veldkamp, and J.&#x00A0;Bouma (2002), Modeling water and soil redistribution
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<a
id="Xsnyder2003importance"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Snyder, N., K.&#x00A0;Whipple, G.&#x00A0;Tucker, and D.&#x00A0;Merritts (2003), Importance of a stochastic
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<a
id="Xsolyom2004effect"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>SÛlyom,  P.,  and  G.&#x00A0;Tucker  (2004),  Effect  of  limited  storm  duration  on  landscape
  evolution,  drainage  basin  geometry,  and  hydrograph  shapes,  <span
class="cmti-12">Journal  of  Geophysical</span>
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  </p>
  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xtucker2004drainage"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Tucker,  G.  (2004),  Drainage  basin  sensitivity  to  tectonic  and  climatic  forcing:
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  </p>
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<a
id="Xtucker2000stochastic"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Tucker,  G.&#x00A0;E.,  and  R.&#x00A0;L.  Bras  (2000),  A  stochastic  approach  to  modeling  the  role
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  <p class="bibitem" ><span class="biblabel">
<a
id="Xtucker2010modelling"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Tucker, G.&#x00A0;E., and G.&#x00A0;R. Hancock (2010), Modelling landscape evolution, <span
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  </p>
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<a
id="Xtucker1994erosional"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Tucker, G.&#x00A0;E., and R.&#x00A0;L. Slingerland (1994), Erosional dynamics, flexural isostasy, and
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  </p>
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<a
id="Xtucker2001object"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Tucker, G.&#x00A0;E., S.&#x00A0;T. Lancaster, N.&#x00A0;M. Gasparini, R.&#x00A0;L. Bras, and S.&#x00A0;M. Rybarczyk
  (2001a), An object-oriented framework for hydrologic and geomorphic modeling using
  triangular irregular networks, <span
class="cmti-12">Computers and Geosciences</span>, <span
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id="Xwhipple1999dynamics"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Whipple, K.&#x00A0;X., and G.&#x00A0;E. Tucker (1999), Dynamics of the stream-power river incision
  model: Implications for height limits of mountain ranges, landscape response timescales,
  and research needs, <span
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<a
id="Xwobus2006self"></a><span class="bibsp">&#x00A0;&#x00A0;&#x00A0;</span></span>Wobus,  C.,  G.&#x00A0;Tucker,  and  R.&#x00A0;Anderson  (2006),  Self-formed  bedrock  channels,
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</p>
  </div>
</body></html>  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


'''STEP1 Load the 2D Sedflux component'''
<br><br>
<br><br>
>> If you have never used WMT, learn how to use it [[Labs_Basic_CMT|here]].<br>
>> If you have never used WMT, learn how to use it [[Labs_Basic_CMT|here]].<br>

Revision as of 15:08, 28 August 2014

Landscape Evolution Modeling with CHILD

Gregory E. Tucker, University of Colorado Boulder, and Stephen T. Lancaster, Oregon State University
These short course notes prepared for SIESD 2012: Future Earth: Interaction of Climate and Earth-surface Processes,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, August 2012. Notes and exercises updated for WMT by Stephanie
Higgins, University of Colorado Boulder, August 2014.

Before beginning these exercises, download the CHILD visualization tools here

1. Overview
The learning goals of this exercise are:

  • To gain a clearer understanding of how a typical landscape evolution model (LEM) solves the governing equations that represent geomorphic processes.
  • To gain hands-on experience actually using a LEM.
  • To understand how continuity of mass is maintained by a typical LEM, and some of the limitations that arise.
  • To appreciate some of the ways in which climate and hydrology can be represented in a LEM, and some of the simplifications involved.
  • To appreciate that working with LEMs involves choosing a level of simplification in the governing physics that is appropriate to the problem at hand.
  • To get a sense for how and why soil creep produces convex hillslopes.
  • To appreciate the concepts of transient versus steady topography.
  • To acquire a feel for the similarity and difference between detachment-limited and transport-limited modes of fluvial erosion.
  • To understand the connection between fluvial physics and slope-area plots.
  • To appreciate that LEMs (1) are able to reproduce (and therefore, at least potentially, explain) common forms in fluvially carved landscapes, (2) can enhance our insight into dynamics via visualization and experimentation, but (3) leave open many important questions regarding long-term process physics.
  • To develop a sense of ``best practices in using landscape evolution models.

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Landscape Evolution Modeling with CHILD

LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION MODELING WITH CHILD

GREGORY E. TUCKER
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

STEPHEN T. LANCASTER
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Date: Short Course notes prepared for SIESD 2012: Future Earth: Interaction of Climate and Earth-surface Processes, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, August 2012.


 1.  Overview
 2.  Introduction to LEMs
   2.1.  Brief History
   2.2.  Brief Overview of Models and their Uses
 3.  Continuity of Mass and Discretization
 4.  Gravitational Hillslope Transport
   4.1.  Linear Diffusion
  Exercise 1: Getting Set Up with CHILD
  Exercise 2: Hillslope Diffusion and Parabolic Slopes with CHILD
   4.2.  Nonlinear Diffusion
  Exercise 3: Nonlinear Diffusion and Planar Slopes
   4.3.  Remarks
 5.  Rainfall, Runoff, and Drainage Networks
   5.1.  Methods Based on Drainage Area
  Exercise 4: Flow Over Noisy, Inclined Topography
   5.2.  Shallow-Water Equations
   5.3.  Cellular Automata
   5.4.  Depressions in the Terrain
   5.5.  Precipitation and Discharge
  Exercise 5: Visualizing a Poisson Storm Sequence
   5.6.  Remarks
 6.  Hydraulic Geometry
 7.  Erosion and Transport by Running Water
   7.1.  Detachment-Limited Models
  Exercise 6: Detachment-Limited Hills and Mountains
  Exercise 7: Zooming in to the Hillslopes
  Exercise 8: Knickzones and Transient Response
   7.2.  Transport-Limited Models
  Exercise 9: A Pile of Fine Sand
  Exercise 10: A Pile of Cobbles
   7.3.  Hybrid Model: Combining Detachment and Transport
  Exercise 11: Erosion and Deposition, Together at Last
   7.4.  Other Sediment-Flux-Dependent Fluvial Models
 8.  Multiple Grain Sizes
 9.  Exotica
 10.  Forecasting or Speculation?
 11.  Ten Commandments of Landscape Evolution Modeling
References

1. Overview

PIC
Figure 1: Schematic diagram of CHILD model’s representation of the landscape: hexagonal Voronoi cells, nodes (at centers of cells) connected by the edges of the Delaunay triangulation, vegetated cell surfaces, channelized cells, and soil and sediment layers above bedrock.

The learning goals of this exercise are:

  • To gain a clearer understanding of how a typical landscape evolution model (LEM) solves the governing equations that represent geomorphic processes.
  • To gain hands-on experience actually using a LEM.
  • To understand how continuity of mass is maintained by a typical LEM, and some of the limitations that arise.
  • To appreciate some of the ways in which climate and hydrology can be represented in a LEM, and some of the simplifications involved.
  • To appreciate that working with LEMs involves choosing a level of simplification in the governing physics that is appropriate to the problem at hand.
  • To get a sense for how and why soil creep produces convex hillslopes.
  • To appreciate the concepts of transient versus steady topography.
  • To acquire a feel for the similarity and difference between detachment-limited and transport-limited modes of fluvial erosion.
  • To understand the connection between fluvial physics and slope-area plots.
  • To appreciate that LEMs (1) are able to reproduce (and therefore, at least potentially, explain) common forms in fluvially carved landscapes, (2) can enhance our insight into dynamics via visualization and experimentation, but (3) leave open many important questions regarding long-term process physics.
  • To develop a sense “best practice” in using landscape evolution models.

2. Introduction to LEMs

2.1. Brief History.

G.K. Gilbert, a member of the Powell Expedition, produced “word pictures” of landscape evolution that still provide insight (Gilbert1877). For example, consider his “Law of Divides” (Gilbert1877):

We have seen that the declivity over which water flows bears an inverse relation to the quantity of water. If we follow a stream from its mouth upward and pass successively the mouths of its tributaries, we find its volume gradually less and less and its grade steeper and steeper, until finally at its head we reach the steepest grade of all. If we draw the profile of the river on paper, we produce a curve concave upward and with the greatest curvature at the upper end. The same law applies to every tributary and even to the slopes over which the freshly fallen rain flows in a sheet before it is gathered into rills. The nearer the water-shed or divide the steeper the slope; the farther away the less the slope.

It is in accordance with this law that mountains are steepest at their crests. The profile of a mountain if taken along drainage lines is concave outward...; and this is purely a matter of sculpture, the uplifts from which mountains are carved rarely if ever assuming this form.

Flash forward to the 1960’s, and we find the emergence of the first one-dimensional profile models. Culling (1963), for example, used the diffusion equation to describe the relaxation of escarpments over time.

Models became more sophisticated in the early 1970’s. Frank Ahnert and Mike Kirkby, among others, began to develop computer models of slope profile development and included not only diffusive soil creep but also fluvial downcutting as well as weathering (Ahnert1971Kirkby1971). Meanwhile, Alan Howard developed a simulation model of channel network evolution (Howard1971).

The mid-1970’s saw the first emergence of fully two-dimensional (and even quasi-three-dimensional) landscape evolution models, perhaps most noteworthy that of Ahnert (1976). Geomorphologists would have to wait nearly 15 years for models to surpass the level of sophistication found in this early model.

During that time, computers would become much more powerful and able to model full landscapes. The late 1980’s through the mid-1990’s saw the beginning of the “modern era” of landscape evolution models, and today there are many model codes with as many applications, scales, and objectives, ranging from soil erosion to continental collision (Table 1).

2.2. Brief Overview of Models and their Uses.

Some examples of landscape evolution models (LEMs) are shown in Table 1. LEMs have been developed to represent, for example, coupled erosion-deposition systems, meandering, Mars cratering, forecasting of mine-spoil degradation, and estimation of erosion risk to buried hazardous waste. These models provide powerful tools, but their process ingredients are generally provisional and subject to testing. For this reason, it is important to have continuing cross-talk between modeling and observations—after all, that’s how science works.

In this exercise, we provide an overview of how a LEM works, including how terrain and water flow are represented numerically, and how various processes are computed.



Table 1: Partial list of numerical landscape models published between 1991 and 2005.



Model Example reference Notes



SIBERIA Willgoose et al. (1991) Transport-limited;
Channel activator function
DRAINAL Beaumont et al. (1992) “Undercapacity” concept
GILBERT Chase (1992) Precipiton
DELIM/MARSSIM Howard (1994) Detachment-limited;
Nonlinear diffusion
GOLEM Tucker and Slingerland (1994) Regolith generation;
Threshold landsliding
CASCADE Braun and Sambridge (1997) Irregular discretization
CAESAR Coulthard et al. (1996) Cellular automaton algorithm
for 2D flow field
ZSCAPE Densmore et al. (1998) Stochastic bedrock
landsliding algorithm
CHILD Tucker and Bras (2000) Stochastic rainfall
EROS Crave and Davy (2001) Modified precipiton
TISC Garcia-Castellanos (2002) Thrust stacking
LAPSUS Schoorl et al. (2002) Multiple flow directions
APERO/CIDRE Carretier and Lucazeau (2005) Single or multiple
flow directions




3. Continuity of Mass and Discretization

A typical mass continuity equation for a column of soil or rock is:

∂η
∂t-= B  - ∇ ⃗qs
(1)

where η is the elevation of the land surface [L]1; t is time; B [L/T] represents the vertical motion of the rocks and soil relative to baselevel (due, for example, to tectonic uplift or subsidence, sea-level change, or erosion along the boundary of the system); and ⃗q s is sediment flux per unit width [L2/T]. This is one of several variations; for discussion of others, see Tucker and Hancock (2010). Some models, for example, distinguish between a regolith layer and the bedrock underneath (Fig. 1). Note that this type of mass continuity equation applies only to terrain that has one and only one surface point for each coordinate; it would not apply to a vertical cliff or an overhang.

A LEM computes η(x,y,t) given (1) a set of process rules, (2) initial conditions, and (3) boundary conditions. One thing all LEMs have in common is that they divide the terrain into discrete elements. Often these are square elements, but sometimes they are irregular polygons (as in the case of CASCADE and CHILD; Fig. 1). For a discrete parcel (or “cell”) of land, continuity of mass enforced by the following equation (in words):

Time rate of change of mass in element = mass rate in at boundaries - mass rate out at boundaries + inputs or outputs from above or below (tectonics, dust deposition, etc.)

PIC
Figure 2: Schematic diagram of CHILD mesh with illustration of calculation of volumetric fluxes between cells. Dashed lines indicate cells and their faces, solid circles are nodes, and solid lines show the edges between nodes.

This statement can be expressed mathematically, for cell i, as follows:

dη         1 ∑N
--i=  B +  ---   qsjλj
dt         Λi j=1
(2)

where Λi is the horizontal surface area of cell i; N is the number of faces surrounding cell i; qsj is the unit flux across face j; and λj is the length of face j (Fig. 2). (Note that, for the sake of simplicity, we are using volume rather than mass flux; this is ok as long as the mass density of the material is unchanging). Equation (2) expresses what is known as a finite-volume method because it is based on computing fluxes in and out along the boundaries of a finite volume of space.

Some terminology: a cell is a patch of ground with boundaries called faces. A node is the point inside a cell at which we track elevation (and other properties). On a raster grid, each cell is square and each node lies at the center of a cell. On the irregular mesh used by CASCADE and CHILD, the cell is the area of land that is closer to that particular node than to any other node in the mesh. (It is a mathematical entity known as a Voronoi cell or Thiessen polygon; for more, see Braun and Sambridge (1997), Tucker et al. (2001a).)

Equation 2 gives us the time derivatives for the elevation of every node on the grid. How do we solve for the new elevations at time t? There are many ways to do this, including matrix-based implicit solvers (see for example Fagherazzi et al. (2002); Perron (2011)). We won’t get into the details of numerical solutions (at least not yet), but for now note that the simplest solution is the forward-difference approximation:

                  dη    η (t + Δt ) - η(t)
                  --i ≈ -i------------i--                       (3)
                  dt           Δt
                               1 ∑N
ηi(t + Δt ) = ηi(t) + U Δt + Δt---    qsjλj                       (4)
                              Λi j=1

The main disadvantage of this approach is that very small time steps are typically needed in order to ensure numerical stability. (CHILD uses a variant of this that seeks the largest possible stable value of Δt at each iteration). A good discussion of numerical stability, accuracy, and alternative methods for diffusion-like problems can be found in Press et al. (2007).

4. Gravitational Hillslope Transport

Geomorphologists often distinguish between hillslope and channel processes. It’s a useful distinction, although one has to bear in mind that the transition is not always abrupt, and even where it is abrupt, it is commonly either discontinuous or highly dynamic or both.

Alternatively, one can also distinguish between processes that are driven nearly exclusively by gravitational processes, and those that involve a fluid phase (normally water or ice). This distinction too has a gray zone: landslides are gravitational phenomena but often triggered by fluid pore pressure, while debris flows are surges of mixed fluid and solid. Nonetheless, we will start with a consideration of one form of gravitational transport on hillslopes: soil creep.

4.1. Linear Diffusion.

For relatively gentle, soil-mantled slopes, there is reasonably strong support for a transport law of the form:

⃗qs = - D ∇ η
(5)

where D is a transport coefficient with dimensions of L2T-1. Using the finite-volume method outlined in equation 2, we want to calculate ⃗qs at each of the cell faces. Suppose node i and node k are neighboring nodes that share a common face (we’ll call this face j). We approximate the gradient between nodes i and k as:

      ηk - ηi
Sik = -------
        Lik
(6)

where Lik is the distance between nodes. On a raster grid, Lik = Δx is simply the grid spacing. The sediment flux per unit width is then

        ηk---ηi
qsik ≃ D   Lik
(7)

where qsik is the volume flux per unit width from node k to node i (if negative, sediment flows from i to k), and Lik is the distance between nodes. On a raster grid, Lik = Δx is simply the grid spacing. To compute the total sediment flux through face j, we simply multiply the unit flux by the width of face j, which we denote λij (read as “the j-th face of cell i”):

Qsik = qsikλij
(8)

Exercise 1: Getting Set Up with CHILD.

Our first exercise is simply to (1) get the model, input files, documentation, and visualization tools and (2) run the executable file to make sure it is installed and working correctly. In some cases, it might be necessary to create a new executable file from the source code.

For SIESD 2012, the package will already have been installed on the computers in the lab. Look for it in the folder: C:\child\ChildExercises. ______________

If you are working on your own computer:

If you are working on your own computer, you will need to download a copy of the latest CHILD release from the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) web site:

http://csdms.colorado.edu

Once you have downloaded and unwrapped the package, locate the users’ guide and follow the instructions to compile the model on your particular platform. You will need to use either a UNIX shell or the Command window under Windows. On a mac, use the Terminal application. On a windows machine, use either a UNIX emulator shell such as cygwin on a PC, or the command window. In a UNIX shell, to change folders (“directories” in UNIX-speak), use cd followed by the folder name. A single period represents the current working directory; two periods represent the next directory up. For example, the command cd .. takes you one level up. To get a list of files in a directory, use ls. For Command prompt under windows, use dir instead of ls and backslashes instead of forward slashes.

Start up Command Window. In the command window, type child. You should see something like the following:

Usage: child [options] <input file>  
 --help: display this help message.  
 --no-check: disable CheckMeshConsistency().  
 --silent-mode: silent mode.  
 --version: display version.

While we’re at it, let’s get ready to visualize the output. Start Matlab. The first thing we will do is tell Matlab where to look for the plotting programs that we will use. At the Matlab command prompt type:

path( path, ’childFolderLocation\ChildExercises\MatlabScripts’ )

For childFolderLocation, use the path name of the folder that contains the CHILD package. You can also add a folder to your path by selecting File->Set Path... from the menu.

In Matlab, navigate the current folder to the location of the example input file hillslope1.in (which should end in: ChildExercises\Hillslope1).

Note that the “package” also includes some documentation that you may find useful: the ChildExercises folder contains an earlier version of this document, and the Doc folder contains the Users’ Guide (child_users_guide.pdf). The guide covers the nuts and bolts of the model in much greater detail than these exercises and includes a full list of input parameters.

Exercise 2: Hillslope Diffusion and Parabolic Slopes with CHILD.

  1. In your terminal window, navigate to the ChildExercises\Hillslope1 folder.
  2. To run the example, in your terminal window type:

    child hillslope1.in

  3. A series of numbers will flash by on the screen. These numbers represent time intervals in years. The 2-million-year run takes about 20 seconds on a 2GHz Intel Mac. When it finishes, return to Matlab and type:

    m = cmovie( ’hillslope1’, 21, 200, 200, 100, 50 );

    (This command says “generate a 21-frame movie from the run ‘hillslope1’ with the x-, y- and z- axes set to 200, 200 and 100 m, respectively, and with the color range representing 0 to 50 m elevation).

  4. To replay the movie, type movie(m).

(Windows note: we found that under Vista and Windows 7, the movie figure gets erased after display; slightly re-sizing the figure window seems to fix this).

The analytical solution to elevation as a function of cross-ridge distance y is:

        U (             )
z(y) = --- L2 - (y - y0)2
       2D
(9)

where L is the half-width of the ridge (100 m in this case) and y0 is the position of the ridge crest (also 100 m). The effective uplift rate U, represented in the input file by the parameter UPRATE, is 10-4 m/yr. The diffusivity coefficient D, represented in the input file by parameter KD, is 0.01 m2/yr. Next, we’ll make a plot that compares the computed and analytical solutions.

Enter the following in Matlab:

  • ya = 0:200; % This is our x-coordinate
  • U = 0.0001; D = 0.01; y0 = 100; L = 100;
  • za = (U/(2*D))*(L^  2-(ya-y0).^  2);
  • figure(2), plot( ya, za ), hold on
  • xyz = creadxyz( ’hillslope1’, 21 ); % Reads node coords, time 21
  • plot( xyz(:,2), xyz(:,3), ’r.’ ), hold off
  • legend( ’Analytical solution’, ’CHILD Nodes’ )

Diffusion theory predicts that equilibrium height varies linearly with U, inversely with D, and as the square of L. Make a copy of hillslope1.in and open the copy in a text editor. Change one of these three parameters. To change U, edit the number below the line that starts with UPRATE. Similarly, to change D, edit the value of parameter KD. If you want to try a different ridge width L, change both Y_GRID_SIZE and GRID_SPACING by the same proportion (changing GRID_SPACING will ensure that you keep the same number of model nodes). Re-run CHILD with your modified input file and see what happens.

4.2. Nonlinear Diffusion.

As we found in our study of hillslope transport processes, the simple slope-linear transport law works poorly for slopes that are not “small” relative to the angle of repose for sediment and rock. The next example explores what happens to our ridge when we (1) increase the relative uplift rate, and (2) use the nonlinear diffusion transport law:

⃗qs = ---- D-∇z----
     1 - |∇z ∕Sc |2
(10)

Exercise 3: Nonlinear Diffusion and Planar Slopes.

  1. Navigate to the Hillslope2 folder
  2. Run CHILD: child hillslope2.in
  3. In Matlab, navigate to the Hillslope2 folder
  4. When the 70,000-year run (~1 minute on a 2GHz mac) finishes, type in Matlab:

    m = cmovie( ’hillslope2’, 21, 200, 200, 100, 70 );

If we had used linear diffusion, the equilibrium slope gradient along the edges of the ridge would be S = UL∕D = (0.001)(100)(0.01) = 10 m/m, or about 84! Instead, the actual computed gradient is close to the threshold limit of 0.7. Notice too how the model solution speed slowed down as the run went on. This reflects the need for especially small time steps when the slopes are close to the threshold angle.

4.3. Remarks.

There is a lot more to mass movement than what is encoded in these simple diffusion-like transport laws. Some models include stochastic landsliding algorithms (e.g., CASCADE, ZSCAPE). Some impose threshold slopes (e.g., GOLEM). One spinoff version of CHILD even includes debris-flow generation and routing (Lancaster et al.2003).

5. Rainfall, Runoff, and Drainage Networks

In order to calculate erosion, sediment transport, and deposition by running water, a model needs to know how much surface water is flowing through each cell in the model. Usually, the erosion/transport equations require either the total discharge, Q [L3/T], the discharge per unit channel width, q [L2/T], or the flow depth, H.

There are three main alternative methods for modeling the flow of water across the landscape:

  1. Methods based on contributing drainage area
  2. Numerical solutions to the 2D, vertically integrated and time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations
  3. Cellular automaton methods

5.1. Methods Based on Drainage Area.

Drainage area, A, is the horizontally projected area of land that contributes flow to a particular channel cross-section or to unit length of contour on a hillslope. For a numerical landscape model that uses discrete cells, A is defined as the area that contributes flow to a particular cell. When topography is represented as a raster grid, the most common method for computing drainage area is the D8 method. Each cell is assigned a flow direction toward one of its 8 surrounding neighbors. An algorithm is then used to trace flow paths downstream and add up the number of cells that contribute flow each cell (Fig. 3).

PIC
Figure 3: Flow accumulation by D8, or single flow directions, and multiple flow directions (Schauble et al.2008).

For the Voronoi cell matrix that CHILD and CASCADE use, the simplest routing procedure is a generalization of D8 (Figure 1). Each cell i has Ni neighbors. As we noted earlier, the slope from cell i to neighbor cell k is defined as the elevation difference between the nodes divided by the horizontal distance between them (Fig. 2). Thus, one can define a slope for every edge that connects each pair of nodes. There is a slope value for each of the Ni neighbors of node i. The flow direction is assigned as the steepest of these slopes.

Single-direction flow algorithms have advantages and disadvantages. Some models use a multiple flow direction approach to represent the divergence of flow on relatively gentle slopes or divergent landforms (Fig. 3). This is most appropriate for models that operate on a grid resolution significantly smaller than the length of a hillslope. When grid cells are relatively large, conceptually each cell contains a primary channel, narrower than the cell, that is tracked.

Exercise 4: Flow Over Noisy, Inclined Topography.

  1. In the terminal window, navigate to the Network1 folder and run the input file by typing:

    child network1.in

  2. In Matlab, navigate to the Network1 folder

In Matlab, type:

  • figure(1), clf
  • colormap pink
  • a = cread( ’network1.area’, 1 );
  • ctrisurf( ’network1’, 1, a );
  • view( 0, 90 ), shading interp, axis equal

The networks are formed because of noise (±1 m in this case) in the initial surface, which causes flow to converge in some places.

The simplest method for computing discharge from drainage area is to simply assume (1) all rain runs off, and (2) rain lasts long enough that the entire drainage network is in hydrologic steady state. In this case, and if precipitation rate P is uniform,

Q = P A
(11)

A number of landscape modeling studies have used this assumption, on the basis of its simplicity, even though it tends to make hydrologists faint! The simplicity is indeed a virtue, but one needs to be extremely careful in using this equation, for at least three reasons. First, obviously Q varies substantially over time in response to changing seasons, floods, droughts, etc. We will return to this issue shortly. Second, there is probably no drainage basin on earth, bigger than a hectare or so, from which all precipitation runs off. Typically, evapotranspiration returns more than half of incoming precipitation to the atmosphere. Third, hydrologic steady state is rare and tends to occur only in small basins, though it may be a reasonable approximation for mean annual discharge in some basins.

River discharge, whether defined as mean annual, bankfull, mean peak, or some other way, often shows a power-law-like correlation with drainage area. Some models take advantage of this fact by computing discharge using an empirical approach:

Q = bAc
(12)

where c typically ranges from 0.5-1 and b is a runoff coefficient with awkward units that represents a long-term “effective” precipitation regime.

CHILD’s default method for computing discharge during a storm takes runoff at each cell to be the difference between storm rainfall intensity P and soil infiltration capacity I:

Q = (P  - I)A
(13)

which of course is taken to be zero when P < I.

5.2. Shallow-Water Equations.

Some landscape models are designed to address relatively small-scale problems such as channel initiation, inundation of alluvial fan surfaces, channel flood flow, etc. In such cases, the convergence and divergence of water in response to evolving topography is an important component of the problem, and is not adequately captured by the simple routing schemes described above. Instead, a tempting tool of choice is some form of the shallow-water equations, which are the vertically integrated form of the general (time-averaged) viscous fluid-flow equations. One form of the full shallow-water equations is:

                                (           )
                      ∂-η = i -   ∂qx-+ ∂qy-                     (14)
                       ∂t         ∂x    ∂y
∂q     ∂q u   ∂q  u      ∂h      ∂η    τ
--x-+  --x--+ ---y- + gh ---+ gh ---+  -bx-= 0                    (15)
 ∂t     ∂x     ∂y        ∂x      ∂x    ρ
∂qy-   ∂qyv-   ∂qxv-     ∂h-     ∂η-   τby-
 ∂t +   ∂y  +  ∂x   + gh ∂y + gh ∂y +  ρ  = 0                    (16)

These equations express continuity of mass, x-directed momentum, and y-directed momentum, respectively. They are challenging and computationally expensive to integrate numerically in their full form. However, there are several approximate forms that are commonly used, including the non-accelerating flow form (in which convective accelerations are assumed negligible) and the kinematic-wave equations (in which gravitational and friction forces are assumed to dominate). An example of use of the shallow-water equations in a landform evolution model can be found in the work of T.R. Smith and colleagues (Fig. 4). Various forms of the shallow-water equations can often be found in hydrologic models, and sometimes in soil-erosion models (e.g., Mitas and Mitasova1998).


PIC

Figure 4: Simulated water surface elevations and flow depth (Birnir et al.2001).


5.3. Cellular Automata.

Some models use cellular automaton methods to calculate flow over a cellular topography. These include:

5.4. Depressions in the Terrain.

What happens when flow enters a topographic depression? In the real world, three possibilities: complete evaporation/infiltration, formation of a lake with overflow, or formation of a closed lake. CHILD can be set either to have water in “pits” evaporate, or to use a lake-fill algorithm to route water through depressions in the terrain (with no evaporation).

5.5. Precipitation and Discharge.

Water supply to the channel network varies dramatically in both time and space, but there is a big gap in time scale between, on the one hand, storms and floods and, on the other hand, topographic evolution. Many landscape evolution models have therefore used the “effective discharge” concept, or the idea that there is some value of discharge that represents the cumulative geomorphic effect of the natural sequence of storms and floods. Willgoose et al. (1991) used mean peak discharge, but Huang and Niemann (2006) recognized that the return period of effective discharge events is not necessarily the same at different times and places.

Basically, landscape models tend to use one of four methods:

  1. Steady flow with uniform precipitation or a specified runoff coefficient (effective discharge concept)
  2. Steady flow with nonuniform precipitation or runoff (e.g., orographic precipitation)
  3. Stochastic-in-time, spatially uniform runoff generation
  4. “Short storms” model (SÛlyom and Tucker2004)

We will not examine all of these in detail. Instead, we will take a brief look at the Poisson rectangular pulse model implemented in CHILD.

Exercise 5: Visualizing a Poisson Storm Sequence.

  1. In the terminal window, navigate to the Rainfall1 folder and run the input file by typing:

    child rainfall1.in

  2. In Matlab, navigate to the Rainfall1 folder

In Matlab, type:

  • figure(1), clf, cstormplot( ’rainfall1’ );
  • figure(2), clf, cstormplot( ’rainfall1’, 10 );

The first plot shows a 1-year simulated storm sequence; the second shows just the first 10 storms.

The motivation for using a stochastic flow model is (1) that nature is effectively stochastic, and (2) variability matters when the erosion or transport rate is a nonlinear function of flow. For more on this, see Tucker and Bras (2000); Snyder et al. (2003); Tucker (2004), and DiBiase and Whipple (2011).

5.6. Remarks.

Landscape evolution models can be, and have been, used to study climate impacts on erosion, topography, and mountain building. But be careful—climate and hydrology amount to much more than a “sprinkler over the landscape.”

6. Hydraulic Geometry

Channel size, shape, and roughness control delivery of hydraulic force to the bed and banks. Most landscape models either implicitly assume constant width (practical but dangerous) or use the empirical relation W = KwQb, where b 0.5. Models with time-varying discharge must also specify how width varies at a point along the channel as Q rises and falls. Width-discharge scaling is practical but incomplete, because channels may narrow or widen downstream in concert with variations in incision rate, as observed in Italy (Whittaker et al.2007), Nepal (LavÈ and Avouac2001), New Zealand (Amos and Burbank2007), Taiwan (Yanites et al.2010), and California (Duvall et al.2004). Some models have begun to explore these sensitivities (Wobus et al.20062008Attal et al.2008Turowski et al.2009Yanites and Tucker2010), but full treatment of the channel geometry adjustment problem is a frontier area.

7. Erosion and Transport by Running Water

There are several competing models for erosion by channelized flow. Detachment-limited models assume that eroded material leaves the system without significant re-deposition and that lowering of channels is limited by the ability of the stream to detach material from the bed (Howard1994Whipple and Tucker1999). Transport-limited models assume plentiful supply of loose sediment and that lowering of channels is limited by the stream’s capacity to transport sediment (Willgoose et al.1991Whipple and Tucker2002). In simple hybrid models, lowering may be limited either by excess transport capacity or by detachment rate, depending on local sediment supply and substrate resistance (Tucker et al.2001bWhipple and Tucker2002). With the undercapacity concept, detachment rate depends on surplus transport capacity (Beaumont et al.1992). In the saltation-abrasion model, detachment is driven by grain impacts and limited by sediment shielding (Gasparini et al.2007Whipple and Tucker2002).

7.1. Detachment-Limited Models.

On a cohesive or rock bed with a discontinuous or absent cover of loose sediment, detachment of particles from the bed may be driven primarily by hydraulic lift and drag (“plucking”). Most models assume that the rate of detachment (or more generally the capacity for detachment) depends on excess bed shear stress:

                p                              p     p
Dc =  Kb (τ - τc)b , or alternatively, Dc = Kb (τ b - τcb)
(17)

where τ is local bed shear stress, τc is a threshold stress below which detachment is ineffective, Kb is a constant, and pb is an exponent.

Bed shear stress fluctuates in space and time, but is often treated using the cross-sectional average, which in turn is based on a force balance between gravity and friction.

Some models assume that the detachment rate depends on stream power per unit width, ω = ρg(Q∕W)S:

         ( Q        )pb
Dc =  Kb   --S -  Φc
           W
(18)

where Φc is, again, a threshold below which detachment is ineffective. Stream power per unit width turns out to be proportional to τ32, so the two erosion formulas are closely related (Whipple and Tucker1999). In the following example, we will use the unit stream power formula with Φc = 0.

Exercise 6: Detachment-Limited Hills and Mountains.

  1. In the terminal window, navigate to the Dlim folder and run the input file by typing:

    child dlim.in

    The 3 m.y. run should take about 20 seconds.

  2. In Matlab, navigate to the Dlim folder

In Matlab, type:

  • figure(1), clf, colormap jet
  • cmovie( ’dlim’, 31, 3e4, 3e4, 1e3, 500 );
  • figure(2), clf
  • csa( ’dlim’, 31 ); % Shows slope-area graph

Notice that the landscape has come close to a state of equilibrium between erosion and relative uplift. The resulting terrain has about 200 m of relief over a 30 km half-width mountain range—more Appalachian than Himalayan. Notice that the log-log slope-area graph shows a straight line, indicating a power-law relationship. This is exactly to be expected, and we can predict the plot slope and intercept analytically. Finally, note the points on the upper left of the graph. These “first order” cells, at about 2500 m2 contributing area, have slopes less than 10%. They represent embedded channels, not hillslopes, which are too small to resolve at this grid spacing.

Now, what happens when we increase the relative uplift rate?

  1. Run the dlimC1.in input file by typing:

    child dlimC1.in

    This run starts off where the previous one ended, but with a 10× higher rate of relative uplift.

In Matlab, type:

  • figure(1)
  • cmovie( ’dlimC1’, 31, 3e4, 3e4, 1e4, 5000 ); % 10× vertical scale
  • figure(2)
  • hold on, csa( ’dlimC1’, 31, ’r.’ ); hold off

Because we are using a slope-linear detachment law, a 10× increase in relative uplift rate leads to a 10× increase in relief. Notice that the points have shifted upward by a factor of 10 on the slope-area graph.

We still do not see any hillslopes, because the scale of landscape dissection is too fine for the model to resolve.

Exercise 7: Zooming in to the Hillslopes.

Next, we will “zoom in” by repeating the dlim run but with a twenty-fold decrease in domain size and model cell size.

  1. Run the dlim_small.in input file by typing:

    child dlim_small.in

    This run is identical to dlim but with a domain of 1.5 by 1.5km and ~25m wide cells, instead of 30x30km and ~500m cells.

In Matlab, type:

  • figure(1)
  • cmovie( ’dlim_small’, 31, 1.5e3, 1.5e3, 500, 200 );
  • figure(2)
  • hold on, csa( ’dlim_small’, 31, ’g.’ ); hold off

Note how the hillslopes become evident in the topography. In the slope-area plot, the points seem to continue the trend of the coarser-scale run, but somewhat shifted upward. Can you guess why they are shifted upward? (The answer is subtle, and lies hidden in dlim_small2.in).

Exercise 8: Knickzones and Transient Response.

For the next exercise, we return to our earlier dlimC1 run and plot a representative stream profile at different times, to look at how the profile responds to the increased rate of relative uplift.

In Matlab, type:

  • figure(1), clf
  • [d,h,x,y] = cstrmproseries( ’dlimC1’, 10, 15000, 29000 );

    This command traces the stream profile starting from x = 15 km, y = 29 km. It will plot the first 10 profiles.

  • figure(2), clf, plot( x, y )

    This shows the horizontal trace of the stream course.

During the period of transient response, the stream profile shows a pronounced convexity, or knickzone, along the profile. The knickzone marches upstream through time. This pattern is characteristic of the “stream power” erosion law, which is actually a form of wave equation.

7.2. Transport-Limited Models.

We next explore the dynamics of landscapes and networks with transport-limited models. One caution as we do so: we will assume that channel width is independent of grain size, slope, etc.

Exercise 9: A Pile of Fine Sand.

  1. In the terminal window, navigate to the Tlim folder and run:

    child tlim1.in

    The 1 m.y. run should take about 2 minutes.

  2. In Matlab, navigate to the Tlim folder

In Matlab, type:

  • figure(1), clf
  • cmovie( ’tlim1’, 21, 3e4, 3e4, 40, 10 );
  • figure(2), clf
  • csa( ’tlim1’, 21 ); axis([1e-1 1e3 1e-4 1e-3])

In this run, we are effectively assuming that 0.1 mm sand moves as bed-load, according to a Meyer-Peter and Mueller-like transport formula. The landscape takes on an effectively uniform and very shallow gradient, on the order of 3 × 10-4.

Exercise 10: A Pile of Cobbles.

Now let’s try the same experiment with 5cm cobbles.

  1. Run:

    child tlim2.in

    The 3 m.y. run should take about 2-3 minutes.

In Matlab, type:

  • figure(1), clf
  • cmovie( ’tlim2’, 31, 3e4, 3e4, 1000, 300 );
  • figure(2)
  • hold on, csa( ’tlim2’, 31, ’r.’ ); hold off
  • axis([1e-1 1e3 1e-4 1e-1])

Lesson: grain size matters!

But let’s remember the caveat that channel width matters too, and we haven’t taken that into account with these simple runs. Also, Nicole Gasparini’s work (Gasparini et al., 1999, 2004) tells us that channel concavity is less sensitive to grain size when there is a mixture of sizes available to the river.

Optional exercise: Make a copy of tlim2.in and configure it to re-start from tlim2 but with a higher uplift rate. Use the Matlab script cstrmproseries to plot fluvial profiles undergoing transient response. How do these compare with the detachment-limited model?

7.3. Hybrid Model: Combining Detachment and Transport.

Next, we’ll look at a more complex situation with simultaneous erosion and sedimentation, and simultaneous detachment-limited and transport-limited behavior. In this case, we use a fluvial model in which erosion rate can be limited either by transport capacity or by detachment capacity, depending on their relative magnitudes:

     {    ∑N              ∑N
       Qc---ji=1Qsij  if Qc---j=i1Qsij<  D
Ei =        Λi             Λi          c
       Dc           otherwise
(19)

Exercise 11: Erosion and Deposition, Together at Last.

  1. In the terminal window, navigate to the Hybrid folder and run:

    child erodep1.in

    The 1 m.y. run should take about 5 minutes (but of course you can peek at earlier time steps while the run is going, by reducing the number of frames in your movie).

In Matlab, navigate to the Hybrid folder and type:

  • figure(1), clf
  • cmovie( ’erodep1’, 21, 6e4, 6e4, 4000 );

Here we have a block rising at 1 mm/yr and an adjacent block subsiding at 0.25 mm/yr. Uplift and subsidence shut down after 500 ky. The subsiding block forms a large lake that gradually fills in with fan-deltas.

7.4. Other Sediment-Flux-Dependent Fluvial Models.

We won’t take the time to address some of the other models, including

  • “Under-capacity” models (detachment rate depends on degree to which sediment flux falls below transport capacity), and
  • Saltation-abrasion models (detachment rate driven by particle impacts, and limited by alluvial shielding of bed)

Gasparini et al. (2007) explore the behavior of these models with CHILD simulations.

8. Multiple Grain Sizes

Although we won’t explore the effects of including multiple grain sizes of sediment in transport, grain size introduces some interesting issues, including:

  • Bed armoring and its impact on transport rates
  • Downstream fining
  • Abrasion and lithologic controls

9. Exotica

Landscape evolution models include more than diffusion and stream-power models:

10. Forecasting or Speculation?

Some mathematical models in the physical sciences have such firm foundations that they can be relied upon to forecast the behavior of the natural world. For example, laws of motion of objects in a vacuum are absolutely reliable (as long as their speed is much less than that of light). The same can be said for numerical solutions to these equations, provided the solution is reasonably accurate. For these kinds of model, the verb “to model” means to calculate with high reliability what would happen under a particular set of initial and boundary conditions.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have mathematical models that are essentially tentative hypotheses. Such models are often based on intuition about a physical system, and represent a sort of educated guess about the quantitative relationships between things. For example, when Ahnert (1976) presented his inverse-exponential equation for regolith generation from bedrock, he was essentially expressing a conceptual hypothesis in mathematical terms. For these models-as-hypotheses, the phrase “to model” means to perform a quantitative “what if” experiment, asking the question: what kinds of pattern would I see if my hypothesis were correct? Comparing the prediction with observations provides a test of the hypothesis.

One can find many models that fall between these extremes. There are models that are based on well-known physics, but which are forced to use approximations of unknown accuracy in order to solve the governing equations. For example, climate models typically use simple parameterization schemes to represent convective mass and energy transport. Then too there are models that combine basic physical principles with elements of intuition, empiricism, and approximation. Arguably, many sediment-transport laws fall into this category: they are based on firm mechanical foundations (the force balance on a sediment grain) but also rely on strong approximations of factors like grain geometry, local flow velocity, and so on.

By now, it should be obvious that landscape evolution models also fall somewhere between the end-member cases of “model as truth” and “model as speculative hypothesis.” As we have seen throughout this course, there is a varying degree of experimental and observational support for the individual transport, weathering and erosion laws that go into a typical landscape model. In that sense, then, these models amount to more than just speculation. But equally there is still an element of speculation behind many of the process laws used in landscape models. Also, the process laws and algorithms represent a significant amount of upscaling in space and (especially) time. For example, the use of a steady precipitation rate as a proxy for the natural sequence of flows in a river channel represents a major approximation. For these reasons, we believe that three of the most important frontiers in landscape evolution research are (1) continuing to test individual process laws in the field and lab, (2) testing whole-landscape models using natural experiments, and (3) using mathematics, computation and experiments to study how the rates of various processes scale upward in time and space, and how these can be effectively parameterized.

11. Ten Commandments of Landscape Evolution Modeling

  1. Thou shalt not use a model without understanding the ingredients therein.
  2. Be thou ever mindful of uncertainty.
  3. Thou shalt use thy model to develop insight.
  4. Thou shalt take delight when thy model surprises thee.
  5. Thou shalt kick thy model hard, that it may notice thee (an injunction borrowed gratefully from the 10 Climate Modeling Commandments).
  6. Thou shalt diagnose the reasons for thy model’s behavior.
  7. Thou shalt conduct sensitivity experiments and “play around.”
  8. Thou shalt use thy model to discover the necessary and sufficient conditions needed to explain thy target problem.
  9. If thou darest use a model to calculate what happened in your field area in the past, thou shalt find a way to test and calibrate it first.
  10. If thou darest to predict future erosion, thou shalt heed the previous commandment ten times over (but thou mightest point out to skeptics that a process-based prediction is usually better than one based on pure guesswork, provided that commandment #2 is obeyed).

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>> If you have never used WMT, learn how to use it here.
>> Pick SedFlux2D from the list of components in WMT
>> SedFlux2D component is the sole driver of this simulation, so there is no need to assemble its ports.

LoadSedflux2D component.png