Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-2717-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-2717-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Development and technical paper
| 
10 Apr 2026
Development and technical paper |
| 10 Apr 2026
| 10 Apr 2026
Automated forward and adjoint modelling of viscoelastic deformation of the solid Earth
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Mark Hoggard
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Thomas Duvernay
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Sia Ghelichkhan
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Institute for Water Futures, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Angus Gibson
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Dale Roberts
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Stephan C. Kramer
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
D. Rhodri Davies
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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Etienne Van Broeck, Fanny Garel, Catherine Thoraval, Diane Arcay, and D. Rhodri Davies
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5615, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5615, 2025
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Earth’s solid shell is made of stiff tectonic plates which can break apart to form new weak plate boundaries. We use numerical models of plate extension to investigate how mechanical properties control the concentration of deformation leading to such a boundary as hot mantle rises underneath. We highlight feedbacks, and quantify how and why, under various deformation mechanisms, the plate weakens as temperature and strain rate increase. We compare the model predictions to natural rifting cases.
Davor Dundovic, Joseph G. Wallwork, Stephan C. Kramer, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Regine Hock, and Matthew D. Piggott
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 4023–4044, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-4023-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-4023-2025, 2025
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Accurate numerical studies of glaciers often require high-resolution simulations, which often prove too demanding even for modern computers. In this paper we develop a method that identifies whether different parts of a glacier require high or low resolution based on its physical features, such as its thickness and velocity. We show that by doing so we can achieve a more optimal simulation accuracy for the available computing resources compared to uniform-resolution simulations.
Conor P. B. O'Malley, Gareth G. Roberts, James Panton, Fred D. Richards, J. Huw Davies, Victoria M. Fernandes, and Sia Ghelichkhan
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 9023–9049, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-9023-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-9023-2024, 2024
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We wish to understand how the history of flowing rock within Earth's interior impacts deflection of its surface. Observations exist to address this problem, and mathematics and different computing tools can be used to predict histories of flow. We explore how modeling choices impact calculated vertical deflections. The sensitivity of vertical motions at Earth's surface to deep flow is assessed, demonstrating how surface observations can enlighten flow histories.
Andrew Hollyday, Maureen E. Raymo, Jacqueline Austermann, Fred Richards, Mark Hoggard, and Alessio Rovere
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 883–905, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-883-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-883-2024, 2024
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Sea level was significantly higher during the Pliocene epoch, around 3 million years ago. The present-day elevations of shorelines that formed in the past provide a data constraint on the extent of ice sheet melt and the global sea level response under warm Pliocene conditions. In this study, we identify 10 escarpments that formed from wave-cut erosion during Pliocene times and compare their elevations with model predictions of solid Earth deformation processes to estimate past sea level.
Sia Ghelichkhan, Angus Gibson, D. Rhodri Davies, Stephan C. Kramer, and David A. Ham
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 5057–5086, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5057-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5057-2024, 2024
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We introduce the Geoscientific ADjoint Optimisation PlaTform (G-ADOPT), designed for inverse modelling of Earth system processes, with an initial focus on mantle dynamics. G-ADOPT is built upon Firedrake, Dolfin-Adjoint and the Rapid Optimisation Library, which work together to optimise models using an adjoint method, aligning them with seismic and geologic datasets. We demonstrate G-ADOPT's ability to reconstruct mantle evolution and thus be a powerful tool in geosciences.
D. Rhodri Davies, Stephan C. Kramer, Sia Ghelichkhan, and Angus Gibson
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 5127–5166, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5127-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5127-2022, 2022
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Firedrake is a state-of-the-art system that automatically generates highly optimised code for simulating finite-element (FE) problems in geophysical fluid dynamics. It creates a separation of concerns between employing the FE method and implementing it. Here, we demonstrate the applicability and benefits of Firedrake for simulating geodynamical flows, with a focus on the slow creeping motion of Earth's mantle over geological timescales, which is ultimately the engine driving our dynamic Earth.
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Short summary
Melting ice sheets drive solid Earth deformation and sea-level change on timescales of decades to thousands of years. Here, we present G-ADOPT (Geoscientific Adjoint Optimisation Platform), which models movement of the solid Earth in response to surface loads. It has flexibility in domain geometry, deformation mechanism parameterisation, and is scalable on high performance computers. Automatic derivation of adjoint sensitivity kernels also provides a means to assimilate historical and modern observations into future sea-level forecasts.
Melting ice sheets drive solid Earth deformation and sea-level change on timescales of decades...
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