Sediment dynamics play an important role in various aspects of earth system modeling. In this study, we developed a global sediment dynamics model that considers suspended sediment and bedload at short timescales. We validated suspended sediment from four observation stations in the Amazon River basin and over 60 observation stations from around the world based on a variable criteria such as availability of data samples. Our model was able to effectively reproduce seasonality and spatial distribution of suspended sediment flow. However, our global estimate of approximately 4 Bt/a was significantly lower than previous estimates; therefore, we discuss potential causes of this discrepancy, including target time period and discrepancies with previous extrapolated methods. Our newly developed sediment dynamics model could provide a better understanding of global sediment transfer and contributes to various related research fields such as coastal modeling and natural disasters.
Accurate simulations of land processes are crucial for many purposes, such as climate simulation, weather, flood, and drought prediction, and climate change impact assessment studies. In this paper, we present a new land simulator called the Integrated Land Simulator (ILS). The ILS consists of multiple models that represent processes related to land (hereafter, referred to as “land models”). They are coupled by a general-purpose coupler, Jcup, and executed using the Multiple Program Multiple Data approach. Currently, ILS includes a physical land surface model, the Minimal Advanced Treatments of Surface Interaction and Runoff model, and a hydrodynamic model, the Catchment-based Macro-scale Floodplain model, and the inclusion of additional land models is planned. We conducted several test simulations to evaluate the computational speed and scalability and the basic physical performance of the ILS. The results will become a benchmark for further development.
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