User:Tgibbs/Workflows

SCHISM in SMS

The Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model (SCHISM) is a powerful open-source modeling system for simulating 3D baroclinic circulation and transport in estuarine, riverine, and coastal environments. Within the Surface-water Modeling System (SMS), SCHISM integrates with a user-friendly GUI to enable efficient pre- and post-processing.

Model Control Overview

The SCHISM model control in SMS is divided into four major sections:

• General
  • This tab defines global settings for the simulation such as start time, end time, time step, and coordinate system.
• Time Control
  • Time stepping schemes and control parameters are configured here. Options include:
    • Start Time
    • End Time
    • Time Step

Output Interval

• Output Options

Defines what model outputs are written and at what frequency. Users can select among water surface elevation, salinity, velocity, and other scalar/vector outputs.

Numerical Parameters

Advanced settings related to solver behavior, such as vertical layer configuration, baroclinic settings, and stabilization parameters.

Tables and annotated screenshots will be provided for each section in future drafts to support navigation and understanding.

Coverage and Model Setup

SCHISM Coverages

Coverages in SCHISM are used to define physical domains and assign model parameters. SMS allows the creation of coverages that control boundary conditions, material properties, and source/sink information.

Types of coverages:

• Boundary Conditions Coverage – defines open and land boundaries, elevation or flow time series.

• Arc Properties – used to assign conditions such as tidal boundaries or river inflows.

These coverages appear as layers in the Project Explorer. Arcs, nodes, and polygons each have specific roles. For instance, arcs can represent channel edges, and their properties can be edited for boundary settings.

Working with Arc Properties

Arc attributes control how boundaries behave. Users can right-click arcs within the boundary conditions coverage to:

• Set boundary condition type (e.g., elevation, normal flow)

• Assign time series

• Set value options (e.g., constant, transient)