Poster JG01 p-415 - Introducing ‘agrid’: a multidimensional model and framework for investigating the Antarctic crust and lithosphere, and interdisciplinary research

Numerous data compilations, models and interpretations are now available that constrain aspects of the crust and lithosphere of the Australian continent. An increasing number of interdisciplinary researchers, progressing the understanding of (e.g.) glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) feedbacks and heat flow contributions to the great ice sheets, wish to draw upon constraints from solid Earth geophysics and extrapolated/interpolated sub-ice geology. The Antarctic research community therefore needs a way of handling multiple models and constraints such that discrepancies may be understood and the best possible output models, and accompanying uncertainty information, may be taken forward for usage by (e.g.) GIA researchers and ice sheet modellers.

We introduce a computational environment 'agrid' that aims to provide a multidimensional model and framework for interdisciplinary research. This environment is built using the Python programming language, with the aim of providing an accessible user interface, such that minimal coding experience is required for effective use. Export formats (e.g. netCDF) are interoperable for a wide range of applications. The multidimensional grid is populated by datasets (e.g. seismic wavespeed, free-air gravity, Bouguer gravity, digital elevation) in a way that facilitates dynamic updating as the underlying geophysical compilations improve. The implementation is flexible and would allow for time-varying changes to the grid. Metadata on data provenance and uncertainty are allowed for. We illustrate the framework through a comparison of constraints on the spatial variation of heat flow across East Antarctica.