Forming Terrains by Glacial Erosion

We introduce the first solution for simulating the formation and evolution of glaciers, together with their attendant erosive effects, for periods covering the combination of glacial and inter-glacial cycles. Our efficient solution includes both a fast yet accurate deep learning-based estimation of high-order ice flows and a new, multi-scale advection scheme enabling us to account for the distinct time scales at which glaciers reach equilibrium compared to eroding the terrain. We combine the resulting glacial erosion model with finer-scale erosive phenomena to account for the transport of debris flowing from cliffs. This enables us to model the formation of terrain shapes not previously adequately modeled in Computer Graphics, ranging from U-shaped and hanging valleys to fjords and glacial lakes.

Automated summary

We present a novel solution for simulating the formation and evolution of glaciers, as well as their erosive effects, in the context of glacial and inter-glacial cycles. Our solution includes a fast and accurate deep learning-based estimation method for high-order ice flows, as well as a new multi-scale advection scheme to handle the different time scales of glacier equilibrium and terrain erosion. By combining these methods, we are able to accurately model the formation of various terrain features, including U-shaped and hanging valleys, fjords, and glacial lakes, which were not adequately represented in previous computer graphics models.