2014 CIG-EarthScope Institute for Lithospheric Modeling Workshop
Meeting Summary
The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics' (CIG) long-term tectonics community partnered with EarthScope for the first CIG-EarthScope Institute for Lithospheric Modeling workshop, held in Tempe, Arizona at the EarthScope National Office on the ASU campus. This working meeting focused on geodynamic modeling of lithosphere dynamics, data integration, and the software tools that facilitate this work.
The participants in this workshop identified science drivers and challenges, and used them to establish use cases. Use cases are specific examples of scientific or technical problems or questions, with identified goals, key users, scope, and outcomes. The use cases will facilitate the development of a list of functional specifications, scientific goals, and end-user criteria that will improve current and future development of lithosphere modeling software as well as enhance use of EarthScope-related observations of lithospheric structure and deformation.
The workshop combined researcher and developer presentations on new advances in lithosphere research and modeling tools, posters, and work in small breakout groups to identify science drivers, observational efforts, and computational developments that are advancing our understanding of lithospheric deformation. 46 geoscientists and computer scientists participated, including 16 early-career and 9 international participants. Telepresence was successfully incorporated with participants from Australia and Europe. In-depth discussions between end-users and developers helped address the needs and goals of both groups and how these can be integrated into the EarthCube framework.
The meeting report summarizes the science drivers, challenges, and frontiers of numerical modeling identified at the workshop. We then identify the next steps to be taken over the short term (1-2 years), intermediate term (2-4 years), and long term (beyond) incorporating our vision for the community. The appendices include the use cases and an index of codes in current use by the community.
Our goal out of these discussions is to develop a white paper that will outline a 5-10 yr roadmap for the long-term tectonics community including major scientific goals, numerical advances, and benchmarks.
Workshop Report
Final Workshop Report [pdf]