Collaborative Research: Facility: CSDMS: Engaging a thriving community of practice in Earth-surface dynamics

Natural processes such river floods, landslides, hurricanes, stream meandering, and coastal erosion continually alter Earth's landscapes, seascapes, and coastlines. From an engineering perspective, such processes can pose hazards to people and can damage infrastructure. From a scientific perspective, these same processes are responsible for shaping the Earth's surface and creating the sedimentary deposits that contain useful resources as well as critical archives of our planet's history.

One of the key tools that scientists use to study Earth-surface processes is computer simulation modeling. Computer models, which use equations and algorithms to simulate natural processes, provide a way to perform controlled experiments on geological systems and to compare theory with a rapidly growing body of data about Earth's dynamic environment.

Recent advances in both data and computing technology have opened new possibilities for discovery. To unlock this potential, this project, which supports continuing operations of the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) Geoinformatics facility, provides training and technology development that will bridge the gap between the power of today’s digital resources and the ability of the Earth-surface processes research community to take full advantage of them.

CSDMS combines intellectual merit, in the form of new and improved digital resources for Earth science research, and broader impacts, in the form of training and workforce development for students and early career scientists.

Recent advances in both data and cyberinfrastructure have opened new possibilities for understanding the dynamics of Earth's surface. To unlock this potential, the CSDMS facility combines community capacity-building and technology development to bridge the gap between today's powerful cyber resources and the ability of the research community to take full advantage of them.

CSDMS provides training, workforce development, online learning resources, and outreach to traditionally underrepresented groups, alongside innovative cyberinfrastructure that speeds the time to science by lowering technical barriers. CSDMS's intellectual merit lies in its contribution toward developing a quantitative, mechanistic understanding of diverse Earth-surface processes.

This goal is advanced in part through new technology, such as the ability to launch models from an online repository to a cloud-hosted computing platform, and new tools to make community software contributions more sustainable via shared, auto-tested repositories. CSDMS's broader impacts include education and workforce development, through programs such as a summer school in geoscience computing, annual scientific meetings, and onsite training visits that provide educational opportunities for students and early career scientists at a variety of higher-education institutions.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.