Model:CHILD

Edit Model information

CHILD

Metadata

Summary Contact Technical specs In/Output Process Testing Other Component info Also known as Model type Modular Model part of larger framework Note on status model Date note status model Incorporated models or components: Spatial dimensions 3D Spatial extent Model domain Terrestrial One-line model description Landscape Evolution Model Extended model description CHILD computes the time evolution of a topographic surface z(x,y,t) by fluvial and hillslope erosion and sediment transport. Keywords: landscape evolution, erosion, sediment transport, soil erosion, landform development, drainage basin, Name Greg Tucker Type of contact Model developer Institute / Organization Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado Postal address 1 University of Colorado Postal address 2 Campus Box 399 Town / City Boulder Postal code 80309 State Colorado Country United States Email address gtucker@colorado.edu Phone +1 303 492 6985 Fax +1 303 492 2606 Supported platforms Unix, Linux, Mac OS Other platform Programming language C++ Other program language Code optimized Single Processor Multiple processors implemented Nr of distributed processors Nr of shared processors Start year development 1997 Does model development still take place? Yes If above answer is no, provide end year model development Code development status Only maintenance When did you indicate the 'code development status'? 2020 Model availability As code Source code availability (Or provide future intension) Through web repository Source web address https://github.com/childmodel/child Source csdms web address Program license type GPL v2 Program license type other Memory requirements depends on grid size Typical run time minutes to days Describe 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 Other input format Describe 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 Other output format Pre-processing software needed? No Describe pre-processing software Post-processing software needed? Yes Describe post-processing software 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. In addition, a post-processing program called CHILD2VTK is available to convert output into VTK format for use in visualization programs such as ParaView. Visualization software needed? Yes If above answer is yes ESRI, IDL, Matlab Other visualization software Describe processes represented by the model Basic processes include runoff generation, water erosion and sediment transport, and gravitational erosion and sediment transport. Depending on the application, the user can apply a vegetation-growth module, various tectonic functions, and other options. Describe key physical parameters and equations Too many to list here -- see Tucker et al. (2001a), the CHILD Users Guide, and other documents listed in the bibliography. Describe length scale and 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. Describe time scale and 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. Describe any 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. Small time steps are typically required, which can lead to long compute times for large meshes. Describe 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, 2010). Testing of the full coupled model using natural experiments (Tucker, 2009) is ongoing. Upload calibration data sets if available: Describe available test data sets (pending) Upload test data sets if available: Describe ideal data for testing See Tucker (2009) Do you have current or future plans for collaborating with other researchers? Yes, both. Is there a manual available? Yes Upload manual if available: Media:Child users guide.pdf, Media:Exercises from davos.pdf Model website if any The CSDMS web site (this model section) Model forum / discussion board Comments This part will be filled out by CSDMS staff OpenMI compliant No but possible BMI compliant Yes WMT component Yes PyMT component Yes Is this a data component DOI model 10.1594/IEDA/100102 For model version 2010.07.06 Year version submitted 2010 Link to file https://csdms.colorado.edu/pub/models/doi-source-code/child-10.1594.IEDA.100102-2010.07.06.tar.gz Can be coupled with:

Model info Authors Greg Tucker Source code Go to external source code site DOI Download CHILD version: 2010.07.06 Doi: 10.1594/IEDA/100102 Model citations Nr. of publications: 43 Total citations: 4234 h-index: 29 m-quotient: 1.12 QR-code Link to this page Other models by author Bedrock Fault Scarp CHILD FractureGridGenerator GOLEM Landlab LinearDiffuser ModelParameterDictionary StreamPowerSmoothThresholdEroder

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

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).

References

Automatically enter Reference by DOI

Manually enter Reference

Nr. of publications:	43
Total citations:	4234
h-index:	29
m-quotient:	1.12

Featured publication(s)	Year	Model described	Type of Reference	Citations
Tucker, Gregory; Lancaster, Stephen; Gasparini, Nicole; Bras, Rafael; 2001. The Channel-Hillslope Integrated Landscape Development Model (CHILD). In: Harmon, Russell S.; Doe, William W. (eds.)Landscape Erosion and Evolution Modeling.. 349–388. (View/edit entry)	2001	CHILD	Model overview	311
Tucker, Gregory E.; Lancaster, Stephen T.; Gasparini, Nicole M.; Bras, Rafael L.; Rybarczyk, Scott M.; 2001. An object-oriented framework for distributed hydrologic and geomorphic modeling using triangulated irregular networks. Computers & Geosciences, 27, 959–973. 10.1016/S0098-3004(00)00134-5 (View/edit entry)	2001	CHILD	Model overview	277
Tucker, G.E.; Gasparini, N.M; Bras; R.L.; 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.. (View/edit entry)	1999	CHILD	Model overview	0
See more publications of CHILD

Issues and Announcements

July 6, 2010

Version R10.7 has been released! Included with this version is a set of hands-on, tutorial-style exercises that were "beta tested" at the "Summer School and Workshop on Modelling Surface Processes on Geological Timescales" in Davos, Switzerland, in June 2010. Space-time varying uplift fields can now be specified -- see the Users Guide for details.

---

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

Help

A new manual is now available.

Child User Guide

Child Code Structure

Output Files

A small utility to convert CHILD outputs to VTK format: File:Child2vtk.tar (Vincent Godard, CEREGE, Aix-Marseille University). VTK files can be visualized with softwares such as Paraview.