Abstract

Several numerical landscape evolution models (LEMs) have been developed to date, andmany are available as open source codes. Most are written in efficient programming languages such asFortran or C, but often require additional code efforts to plug in to more user-friendly data analysisand/or visualization tools to ease interpretation and scientific insight. In this paper, we present aneffort to port a common core of accepted physicalprinciples governing landscape evolution directly into a high-level language and data analysisenvironment such as Matlab. SIGNUM (acronym for Simple Integrated Geomorphological NumericalModel) is an independent and self-contained Matlab, TIN-based landscape evolution model, built tosimulate topography development at various space and time scales. SIGNUM is presently capable ofsimulating hillslope processes such as linear and nonlinear diffusion, fluvial incision into bedrock,spatially-varying surface uplift which can be used to simulate changes in base level, thrust and faulting,as well as effects of climate changes. Although based on accepted and well-known processes andalgorithms in its present version, it is built with a modular structure, which allows to easily modify andupgrade the simulated physical processes to suite virtually any user needs. The code is conceived as anopen-source project, and is thus an ideal tool for both research and didactic purposes, thanks to thehigh-level nature of the Matlab environment and its popularity among the scientific community. In thepaper the simulation code is presented together with some simple examples of surface evolution, andguidelines for development of new modules and algorithms are proposed.

Autore Pugliese

• Refice Alberto

Tutti gli autori

• A. Refice; E. Giachetta; D. Capolongo

Titolo volume/Rivista

Computers & geosciences

Anno di pubblicazione

2012

ISSN

0098-3004

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

Nessuna citazione

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Numero di citazioni Scopus

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Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Settori ERC

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Codici ASJC

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