Modeling geophysical complexity: a case for geometric determinism

C. E. Puente (1) , B. Sivakumar (1)

1 Department of Land

It has been customary in the last few decades to employ stochastic models to represent complex data sets encountered in geophysics, particularly in hydrology. This article reviews a deterministic geometric procedure to data modeling, one that represents whole data sets as derived distributions of simple multifractal measures via fractal functions. It is shown how such a procedure may lead to faithful holistic representations of existing geophysical data sets that, while complementing existing representations via stochastic methods, may also provide a compact language for geophysical complexity. The implications of these ideas, both scientific and philosophical, are stressed.

Domaines: Interfaces continentales, environnement; Océan, Atmosphère; Sciences de la Terre

C. E. Puente, B. Sivakumar. Modeling geophysical complexity: a case for geometric determinism. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 2006, 3 (4), pp.1407-1417. ⟨hal-00298727⟩