Some Personal Opinions about Landform Modeling
- No universal model of landform evolution
- Multiplicity of processes
- Differing purposes of modeling
- Different spatio-temporal scales
- Simulation models should be conceptually and mathematically as simple as possible
- Computational efficiency
- Better appreciation of model structure and assumptions
Notes:
It is my opinion that there is not, will not be, and cannot be a universal model for landform evolution. The range of processes and controlling factors is too great to be included in a single model. In addition, geomorphologists create models with different purposes, ranging from 1) general understanding of process-form interactions that occur in landscapes to 2) making applied predictions about effects of climate or land use changes on erosional processes, landscape form, or ecological habit. Models with different purposes also are constructed at different spatio-temporal scales, ranging from models of individual hillslopes to simulations of erosion on continent-wide scales, in which many processes and landform elements are implicitly parameterized.
I also feel that simulation models should be kept as conceptually and mathematically simple as possible, both for computational efficiency and to allow a better appreciation of model structure and assumptions. For example, geomorphic modeling might reasonably assume flow in channels is uniform and steady rather than solving the full Navier-Stokes equations for fluid flow.