Model:CHILD

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CHILD

Channel-Hillslope Integrated Landscape Development (CHILD) Model

CHILD was originally developed in 1997 by Nicole Gasparini, Stephen Lancaster, and Greg Tucker, in a research group directed by Rafael Bras at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. Development and use of CHILD continues, with contributions by (among others) Mikael Attal (Edinburgh), Patrick Bogaart (Wageningen), Quintijn Clevis (Oxford), Daniel Collins (Wisconsin), Arnaud Desitter (Oxford), Homero Flores (MIT), Erkan Istanbulluoglu (Nebraska), Scott Miller (Syracuse), Vanessa Teles (IFP), and the original developers.

Example Simulations

Fault block uplift and subsidence

<localVideo width="200" height="150" image="Child_Fault_Basin_4m.png" caption="Fault block uplift and subsidence" type="video/msvideo"> Child_Fault_Basin_4m.avi </localVideo>

Simulation of a pair of normal-fault blocks separated by a vertical fault. The lower left edge is fixed through time, and represents a shallow shelf just below sea level. The inner block of the landscape rises at a steady rate, while the outer block subsides. Initially, the relief and erosion rate are small, and the subsiding basin is underfilled. Notice the progradation of a fan-delta complex. As relief and sediment flux increase, the fan deltas reach the shallow shelf and the basin becomes filled (or "over-filled" as they say, meaning that there is more than enough sediment to keep filling the basin as it continues to subside).

Evolution of river valley landscape, stratigraphy, and geoarchaeology

Scenario 1: Steady Aggradation

<localVideo width="200" height="150" image="Child_Floodplain_Evolution_1.png" caption="Floodplain Evolution"> Child_Floodplain_Evolution_1.gif </localVideo>

<localVideo width="200" height="150" image="Child_Chan_sandsA_1.png" caption="Channel Sands (Transverse Section)"> Child_Chan_sandsA_1.gif </localVideo>

Scenario 2: Pomme de Terre River incision/aggradation history

<localVideo width="200" height="150" image="Child_Floodplain_Evolution_2.png" caption="Floodplain Evolution"> Child_Floodplain_Evolution_2.gif </localVideo>

<localVideo width="200" height="150" image="Child_SedAge_2.png" caption="Sediment age distribution in subsurface"> Child_SedAge_2.gif </localVideo>

Scenario 3: incision/aggradation history based on oxygen isotope curve

<localVideo width="200" height="150" image="Child_Floodplain_Evolution_3.png" caption="Floodplain Evolution"> Child_Floodplain_Evolution_3.gif </localVideo>

<localVideo width="200" height="150" image="Child_SedAge_3.png" caption="Sediment age distribution in subsurface"> Child_SedAge_3.gif </localVideo>


References

Overview and General

  1. Tucker, G.E., Lancaster, S.T., Gasparini, N.M., and Bras, R.L. (2001a) The Channel-Hillslope Integrated Landscape Development (CHILD) Model, in Landscape Erosion and Evolution Modeling, edited by R.S. Harmon and W.W. Doe III, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, pp. 349-388.
  2. Tucker, G.E., Lancaster, S.T., Gasparini, N.M., Bras, R.L., and Rybarczyk, S.M. (2001b) An Object-Oriented Framework for Hydrologic and Geomorphic Modeling Using Triangulated Irregular Networks, Computers and Geosciences, 27(8), pp. 959-973.
  3. Tucker, G.E., Gasparini, N.M, Bras, R.L., and Lancaster, S.L. (1999) A 3D Computer Simulation Model of Drainage Basin and Floodplain Evolution: Theory and Applications, Technical report prepared for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory.

Applications

  1. Tucker, G.E., and Bras, R.L. (2000) A Stochastic Approach to Modeling the Role of Rainfall Variability in Drainage Basin Evolution, Water Resources Research, 36(7), pp. 1953-1964.
  2. Lancaster, S.T., S.K. Hayes, and G.E. Grant (2001) Modeling sediment and wood storage and dynamics in small mountainous watersheds, in Geomorphic Processes and Riverine Habitat, J.M. Dorava, D.R. Montgomery, B.B. Palcsak, and F.A. Fitzpatrick (eds.), pp. 85-102, American Geophysical Union, Washington. Reprint
  3. Bogaart, P.W., Tucker, G.E., and de Vries, J.J. (2003) Channel network morphology and sediment dynamics under alternating periglacial and temperate regimes: A numerical simulation study: Geomorphology, vol. 54, no. 3/4, p. 257-277.
  4. Bras, R.L., Tucker, G.E., and Teles, V.T. (2003) Six myths about mathematical modeling in geomorphology: in Prediction in Geomorphology, edited by P. Wilcock and R. Iverson, American Geophysical Union, pp. 63-79.
  5. Lancaster, S.T., S.K. Hayes, and G.E. Grant, 2003. Effects of wood on debris flow runout in small mountain watersheds, Water Resources Research, 39(6), 1168, doi:10.1029/2001WR001227.
  6. Collins, D., Bras, R., and Tucker, G.E. (2004) Modeling the effects of vegetation-erosion coupling on landscape evolution: Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface, v. 109, no. F3, F03004, doi:10.1029/2003JF000028.
  7. Gasparini, N.M., Tucker, G.E., and Bras, R.L. (2004) Network-scale dynamics of grain-size sorting: Implications for downstream fining, stream-profile concavity, and drainage basin morphology: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 29(4), 401-422.
  8. Solyom, P., and Tucker, G.E. (2004) The effect of limited storm duration on landscape evolution, drainage basin geometry and hydrograph shapes: Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface, v. 109, F03012, doi:10.1029/2003JF00032.
  9. Tucker, G.E. (2004) Drainage basin sensitivity to tectonic and climatic forcing: implications of a stochastic model for the role of entrainment and erosion thresholds. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 29, 185-205.
  10. Istanbulluoglu, E., Bras, R.L., Flores-Cervantes, H., and Tucker, G.E. (2005) Implications of bank failures and fluvial erosion for gully development: Field observations and modeling. Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface, v. 110, no. F1, F01014, doi:10.1029/2004JF000145.
  11. Clevis, Q., Tucker, G.E., Lock, G., Lancaster, S.T., Gasparini, N.M., and Desitter, A. (2006) A simple algorithm for the mapping of TIN data onto a static grid: applied to the stratigraphic simulation of river meander deposits Computers and Geosciences, v. 32, p. 749-766.
  12. Clevis, Q., Tucker, G.E., Lock, G., Lancaster, S.T., Gasparini, N.M., Desitter, A., and Bras, R.L. (2006) Geoarchaeological simulation of meandering river deposits and settlement distributions; a three-dimensional approach. Geoarchaeology, v. 21, no. 8, p. 843-874 (doi: 10.1002/gea.20142).
  13. Flores-Cervantes, J.H., Istanbulluoglu, E., and R.L. Bras (2006) Development of gullies on the landscape: A model of headcut retreat resulting from plunge pool erosion, Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface.
  14. Gasparini, N.M., Bras, R.L., and Whipple, K.X. (2006) Numerical modeling of non-steady-state river profile evolution using a sediment-flux-dependent incision model, in Tectonics, climate and landscape evolution, S. Willett, N. Hovius, M. Brandon & D. Fisher, eds., GSA Special Paper 398, Penrose Conference Series, Geological Society of America, pp 127-141.
  15. Crosby, B.T., Whipple, K.X., Gasparini, N.M., and Wobus, C.W. (2007) Formation of Fluvial Hanging Valleys: Theory and Simulation, J. Geophys. Res., 112, doi:10.1029/2006JF000566.
  16. Gasparini, N. M., K. X. Whipple, and R. L. Bras (2007), Predictions of steady state and transient landscape morphology using sediment-flux-dependent river incision models, J. Geophys. Res., 112, doi:10.1029/2006JF000567.
  17. Attal, M., Tucker, G.E., Whittaker, A.C., Cowie, P.A., and Roberts, G.P. (2008) Modeling fluvial incision and transient landscape evolution: Influence of dynamic channel adjustment. Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface, v. 113, F03013, doi:10.1029/2007JF000893.
  18. Fleurant, C., Tucker, G.E., and Viles, H.A. (2008) Modelling cockpit karst landforms. In: Gallagher, K., Jones, S.J., and Wainwright, J., eds., Landscape Evolution: Denudation, Climate and Tectonics over Different Time and Space Scales. Geological Society of London Special Publication 296.
  19. Gasparini, N.M., Bras, R.L., and Tucker, G.E. (2008) Numerical predictions of the sensitivity of grain size and channel slope to an increase in precipitation. In: Rice, S.P., Roy, A.G., and Rhoads, B.L., eds., River Confluences, Tributaries and the Fluvial Network, John Wiley & Sons.


A Sampling of Related Theory and Data

  1. Snyder, N.P., Whipple, K.X., Tucker, G.E., and Merritts, D.J. (2003) The importance of a stochastic distribution of floods and erosion thresholds in the bedrock river incision problem: Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 108, no. B2, doi:10.1029/2001JB001655.
  2. Baldwin, J.A., Whipple, K.X., and Tucker, G.E. (2003) Implications of the shear-stress river incision model for the timescale of post-orogenic decay of topography: Journal of Geophysical Research. Vol. 108, No. B3, doi: 10.1029/2001JB000550.
  3. Tucker, G.E., and Whipple, K.X. (2002) Topographic outcomes predicted by stream erosion models: Sensitivity analysis and intermodel comparison, Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 107, no. B9, 2179, doi:10.1029/2001JB000162.
  4. Whipple, K.X., and Tucker, G.E. (2002) Implications of sediment-flux dependent river incision models for landscape evolution: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 107, no. B2, DOI 10.1029/2000JB000044.
  5. Gasparini, N.M., Tucker, G.E., and Bras, R.L. (1999) Downstream Fining through Selective Particle Sorting in an Equilibrium Drainage Network: Geology, vol. 27, p. 1079-1082.
  6. Whipple, K.X., and Tucker, G.E. (1999) Dynamics of the Stream Power River Incision Model: Implications for Height Limits of Mountain Ranges, Landscape Response Timescales and Research Needs: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 104, p. 17,661-17,674.
  7. Lancaster ST and Bras RL, (2002) A simple model of river meandering and its comparison to natural channels, Hydrological Processes, 16, 1-26.

CHILD Questionnaire

Contact Information

Model CHILD
Contact Person Greg Tucker (Model Developer)
Institution Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado
City Boulder, CO
Country USA
Email: gtucker@colorado.edu
2nd person involved: --
3rd person involved: --

Model Description

Model type: Modular model for the terrestrial environment
Description: CHILD computes the time evolution of a topographic surface z(x,y,t) by fluvial and hillslope erosion and sediment transport.

Technical Information

Supported platforms: Unix, Linux, Mac OSX
Programming language: C
Model was developed started from: 1997 and development still takes place
To what degree will the model become available: As code and as executable
Current license type: GPL_v2
Memory requirements: depends on grid size
Typical run time: minutes to days

Input / Output Description

Input parameters: Topography z(x,y) or parameters describing a topographic surface; rate coefficients; switches for activating options and choosing between alternative transport/erosion formulas. Uses a formatted text file for input of parameters.
Input format: ASCII
Output parameters: Outputs include grids of surface elevation, drainage area, gradient, stratigraphy, drainage direction, Voronoi cell areas, sediment texture; data on mesh configuration; total landscape volume and change in volume at each storm (time step); list of storm durations, timing, and intensities.
Output format: ASCII
Post-processing software (if needed): Yes, An extensive library of Matlab scripts provides visualization and post-processing capabilities. A few scripts also exist for IDL, and it is possible to process the output to generate lists of points for input to ArcGIS.
Visualization software (if needed): Yes, ESRI, IDL, Matlab


Process Description

Processes represented by model: Main processes include runoff generation, fluvial erosion and sediment transport, and sediment transport by soil creep.
Key physical parameters & equations: Too many to list here -- see Tucker et al. (2001a), the CHILD Users Guide, and other documents listed in the bibliography.
Length scale & resolution constraints: In principle, the model can address spatial scales ranging from gullies and small (~1km2) catchments to mountain ranges, as long as setup and parameters are chosen appropriately. Resolutions greater than about 10,000 nodes normally require significant computation time.
Time scale & resolution constraints: The steady flow assumption used by most (not all) hydrology sub-models restricts time scale to periods significantly longer than a single storm. The model has been mostly used to address time scales relevant to significant topographic evolution, though in the case of rapidly changing landscapes (e.g., gully networks) this can be as short as decades.
Numerical limitations and issues : The fluvial sediment transport equations are quasi-diffusive and typically have orders of magnitude spatial variations in rate coefficient (reflecting differences in water discharge), which makes the system of equations stiff and difficult to solve efficiently.


Testing

Available calibration data sets: The model has been benchmarked against analytical solutions for simple cases, such as fluvial slope-area scaling and parabolic to parabolic-planar hillslope form under uniform erosion, materials, and climate. Testing and calibration of some of the individual components (e.g., linear and nonlinear soil creep, stream-power fluvial erosion law, etc.) have been reported in the literature (for a review, see Tucker and Hancock, 2009). Testing of the full coupled model using natural experiments (Tucker, 2009) is ongoing.
Available test data sets: (pending)
Ideal data for testing: See Tucker, 2009 (in review)


User Groups

Currently or plans for collaborating with: Yes, both.


Documentation

Key papers of the model: Tucker, G.E., Lancaster, S.T., Gasparini, N.M., and Bras, R.L. (2001) The Channel-Hillslope Integrated Landscape Development (CHILD) Model, in Landscape Erosion and Evolution Modeling, edited by R.S. Harmon and W.W. Doe III, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, pp. 349-388.
Is there a manual available: Yes
Model website if any: The CSDMS web site (this model section)

Additional Comments

Comments: Updated manual is forthcoming ...

Issues

January 29, 2009

Philippe Steer reports:

I am Philippe Steer, PhD student at Geosciences Montpellier in France.

I have encountered an error when trying to compile child: 

 "INT_MAX" was not declared in this scope /Code/tMesh/tMesh.cpp

Solution to this problem: 

 add "#include <limits.h>" at the begining of tMesh.cpp

Configuration: 

 OS: linux- Opensuse11
 Computer: Dell Precision T 7400, Intel Xeon, 64 bits
 compiling with gcc 4.3

I hope it will help other newbies (as I am!) in C,

Philippe

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