Title: A consistent approach to unstructured mesh generation for geophysical models,
Abstract: Geophysical model domains typically contain irregular, complex fractal-like
boundaries and physical processes that act over a wide range of scales.
Constructing geographically constrained boundary-conforming spatial
discretizations of these domains with flexible use of anisotropically, fully
unstructured meshes is a challenge. The problem contains a wide range of scales
and a relatively large, heterogeneous constraint parameter space. Approaches
are commonly ad hoc, model or application specific and insufficiently
described. Development of new spatial domains is frequently time-consuming,
hard to repeat, error prone and difficult to ensure consistent due to the
significant human input required. As a consequence, it is difficult to
reproduce simulations, ensure a provenance in model data handling and
initialization, and a challenge to conduct model intercomparisons rigorously.
Moreover, for flexible unstructured meshes, there is additionally a greater
potential for inconsistencies in model initialization and forcing parameters.
This paper introduces a consistent approach to unstructured mesh generation for
geophysical models, that is automated, quick-to-draft and repeat, and provides
a rigorous and robust approach that is consistent to the source data
throughout. The approach is enabling further new research in complex
multi-scale domains, difficult or not possible to achieve with existing
methods. Examples being actively pursued in a range of geophysical modeling
efforts are presented alongside the approach, together with the implementation
library Shingle and a selection of its verification test cases.