A novel ALE scheme with the internal boundary for true free surface simulation in geodynamic models

Lu, Neng; Moresi, Louis; Giordani, Julian

doi:10.5194/gmd-19-5191-2026

Articles | Volume 19, issue 11

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-5191-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-5191-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 11

Methods for assessment of models

|

16 Jun 2026

Methods for assessment of models |

| 16 Jun 2026

A novel ALE scheme with the internal boundary for true free surface simulation in geodynamic models

Neng Lu, Louis Moresi, and Julian Giordani

Model code and software

NengLu/ALEIB_FreeSurface: v1 Neng Lu https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20065267

Underworld2: Python Geodynamics Modelling for Desktop, HPC and Cloud (v2.16.4) R. Beucher et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15128361

Underworld3: Mathematically Self-Describing Modelling in Python for Desktop, HPC and Cloud (joss-publication-v0.99.1) L. Moresi et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16838572

Short summary

This study presents a novel scheme for simulating Earth's free surface. Traditional methods like 'Sticky Air' in the Eulerian scheme face limitations such as increased computational costs and marker fluctuation issues. Our approach integrates the 'Sticky Air' concept into an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian framework using an internal boundary enabling a true free surface simulation, which reduces marker noise and enhances numerical stability.