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Creators/Authors contains: "Tucker, Gregory"

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  1. Gravel‐bed rivers that incise into bedrock are common worldwide. These systems have many similarities with other alluvial channels: they transport large amounts of sediment and adjust their forms in response to discharge and sediment supply. At the same time, the occurrence of bedrock incision implies behaviour that falls on a spectrum between fully detachment‐limited ‘bedrock channels’ and fully transport‐limited ‘alluvial channels’. Here, we present a mathematical model of river profile evolution that integrates bedrock erosion, gravel transport and the formation of channels whose hydraulic geometry is consistent with that of near‐threshold alluvial channels. We combine theory for five interrelated processes: bedload sediment transport in equilibrium gravel‐bed channels, channel width adjustment to flow and sediment characteristics, abrasion of bedrock by mobile sediment, plucking of bedrock and progressive loss of gravel‐sized sediment due to grain attrition. This model contributes to a growing class of models that seek to capture the dynamics of both bedrock incision and alluvial sediment transport. We demonstrate the model's ability to reproduce expected fluvial features such as inverse power law scaling between slope and area, and width and depth consistent with near‐threshold channel theory, and we discuss the role of sediment characteristics in influencing the mode of channel behaviour, erosional mechanism, channel steepness and profile concavity. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available July 29, 2026
  2. Abstract. We developed a new rule-based, cellular-automaton algorithm for predicting the hazard extent, sediment transport, and topographic change associated with the runout of a landslide. This algorithm, which we call MassWastingRunout (MWR), is coded in Python and implemented as a component for the package Landlab. MWR combines the functionality of simple runout algorithms used in landscape evolution and watershed sediment yield models with the predictive detail typical of runout models used for landslide inundation hazard mapping. An initial digital elevation model (DEM), a regolith depth map, and the location polygon of the landslide source area are the only inputs required to run MWR to model the entire runout process. Runout relies on the principle of mass conservation and a set of topographic rules and empirical formulas that govern erosion and deposition. For the purpose of facilitating rapid calibration to a site, MWR includes a calibration utility that uses an adaptive Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to automatically calibrate the model to match observed runout extent, deposition, and erosion. Additionally, the calibration utility produces empirical probability density functions of each calibration parameter that can be used to inform probabilistic implementation of MWR. Here we use a series of synthetic terrains to demonstrate basic model response to topographic convergence and slope, test calibrated model performance relative to several observed landslides, and briefly demonstrate how MWR can be used to develop a probabilistic runout hazard map. A calibrated runout model may allow for region-specific and more insightful predictions of landslide impact on landscape morphology and watershed-scale sediment dynamics and should be further investigated in future modeling studies. 
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  3. Wickert, A. (Ed.)
    Abstract. Progress in better understanding and modeling Earth surface systems requires an ongoing integration of data and numerical models. Advances are currently hampered by technical barriers that inhibit finding, accessing, and executing modeling software with related datasets. We propose a design framework for Data Components, which are software packages that provide access to particular research datasets or types of data. Because they use a standard interface based on the Basic Model Interface (BMI), Data Components can function as plug-and-play components within modeling frameworks to facilitate seamless data–model integration. To illustrate the design and potential applications of Data Components and their advantages, we present several case studies in Earth surface processes analysis and modeling. The results demonstrate that the Data Component design provides a consistent and efficient way to access heterogeneous datasets from multiple sources and to seamlessly integrate them with various models. This design supports the creation of open data–model integration workflows that can be discovered, accessed, and reproduced through online data sharing platforms, which promotes data reuse and improves research transparency and reproducibility. 
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  4. Key Points Modeled ecosystem response to climate follows the “geo‐ecological law of distribution,” highlights the importance of ecohdyrologic refugia Woody Plant Encroachment is predicted as a three‐phase phenomenon: early establishment, rapid expansion, and woody plant equilibrium Regime shifts from grassland to shrubland are marked by vegetation cover thresholds 
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  5. Abstract. Computational modeling occupies a unique niche in Earth and environmental sciences. Models serve not just as scientific technology and infrastructure but also as digital containers of the scientific community's understanding of the natural world. As this understanding improves, so too must the associated software. This dual nature – models as both infrastructure and hypotheses – means that modeling software must be designed to evolve continually as geoscientific knowledge itself evolves. Here we describe design principles, protocols, and tools developed by the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) to promote a flexible, interoperable, and ever-improving research software ecosystem. These include a community repository for model sharing and metadata, interface and ontology standards for model interoperability, language-bridging tools, a modular programming library for model construction, modular software components for data access, and a Python-based execution and model-coupling framework. Methods of community support and engagement that help create a community-centered software ecosystem are also discussed. 
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