BISICLES driver executable

BISICLES' driver executable is used to run standalone time-dependent ice sheet simulations. At the start of a simulation, it carries out the following operations
  1. Read a run-time configuration file, specified as the first command line argument
  2. Compute initial thickness, topography, internal energy, stiffness and basal friction coefficient data over the whole domain on the base level (l = 0) mesh. This data might be loaded from a file through the LevelData interface, computed through the Python interface or through a number of special purpose modules.
  3. Set L = 0 and solve the stress-balance equations to find the velocity field on the l = 0 mesh
  4. Generate a new mesh with L + 1 levels on which some regions are more finely resolved according to the refinement criteria
  5. Compute the thickness, topography, internal energy, damage and basal friction coefficient data on the L + 1 mesh
  6. Solve the stress-balance equations to find the velocity field on the L + 1 mesh
  7. Write a plot file, including the thickness, topography, surface elevation, velocity etc
  8. if L has not reached its maximum value, set L = L + 1 and repeat 3-7
It then runs the following operations until the simulation has completed
  1. Write a check-point file, if required
  2. If time t > simulation time, exit, else continue
  3. Compute surface fluxes (accumulation and melting) given the geometry and velocity field
  4. Compute horizontal thickness and internal energy fluxes given the geometry, velocity field and surface fluxes
  5. Evolve the thickness and internal energy fields for a time determined by the CFL condition
  6. Solve the stress-balance equations to find a new velocity field
  7. Write a plot file, if required
  8. Update the mesh according to the refinement criteria
  9. If needed, solve the stress-balance equations to find a new velocity field
  10. repeat from step 1

It is also possible to restart a simulation from a checkpoint file, for example to create a number of simulation branches, having carried out some sort of relaxation