The Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) deals with the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

's surface and the observable and projected changes constantly taking place – the ever-changing dynamic interface between

lithosphere A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the lithospheric mantle, the topmost portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time ...

, hydrosphere, cryosphere and atmosphere. CSDMS supports the development, integration, dissemination and archiving of community open-source software, that reflects and predicts earth-surface processes over a broad range of temporal and spatial scales. Over 500 research institutions from more than 65 countries comprise the community effort. CSDMS distributes hundreds of

open-source model Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...

s and modeling tools, provides access to high performance computing clusters in support of developing and running earth surface models, and offers a suite of products for education and knowledge transfer. The CSDMS architecture employs frameworks and services that convert stand-alone models into flexible "plug-and-play" components to be assembled into larger applications. CSDMS focuses on the movement of fluids and the sediment and solutes they transport through landscapes, seascapes and sedimentary basins. Began in 2007 under the leadership of Jaia Syvitski, formerly the director of the

Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) is a scientific institute that is part of the University of Colorado Boulder. Its research mission is to " evelopscientific knowledge of physical and biogeochemical environmental processes at ...

(INSTAAR), Boulder, CO, CSDMS operates under continuing funding from the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

(NSF) to coordinate this national effort related to surface dynamic modeling.

References

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External links

NSF Award page
{{Authority control Geology organizations Earth science research institutes Geomorphology Earth sciences Sedimentology International scientific organizations International organizations based in the United States