DOI: 10.5061/dryad.r2280gbpf
title: Numerical model of the Messinian Mediterranean combining hydrological water balance, river erosion, and flexural isostasy: TISC code and input dataset for the Lago-Mare

description: We hereby share the code and input/output datasets for the numerical model
 of the Messinian Salinity Crisis published in the Science Advances paper
 linked to this submission. The Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) was a short
 period of isolation of the Mediterranean Sea causing the precipitation of
 a million cubic kilometers of salt. The puzzling sedimentary record that
 formed after salt deposition yields conflicting levels of desiccation,
 ranging from a full exposure of most of the Mediterranean seafloor based
 on shallow sediment found in the abyss to a nearly full Mediterranean
 scenario as suggested by similar, fresher-water deposits ubiquitous along
 the coastline: the so-called Lago-Mare formation. We use the TISC
 landscape evolution model (integrating fluvial drainage, hydrological
 balance in endorheic lakes, fluvial erosion, and flexural isostasy) to
 explore the expected evolution for the drawdown stage of the Messinian
 salinity crisis, known as the 'Lago-Mare'. The model is
 constrained by published climate and sediment budget estimates. 
 The results show that the propagation of an erosional wave into the
 surrounding continents added a gradual sea level rise to the climatic
 oscillations of the Mediterranean. This retrogressive fluvial incision of
 the spillways of the Paratethys and the Pannonian basins also explains the
 Mediterranean transition to fresher water conditions during the MSC.
description: # How to use this dataset This data set includes the code and the input
 files needed to reproduce all the landscape-evolution simulation M0 shown
 in the associated Science Advances publication, as well as the outputs
 produced. ## Code `tisc.2025-02-06.tar.gz` gzipped file in
 Zenodo contains the code is called TISC, developed at CSIC
 (García-Castellanos, Basin Research, 2002; and later publications).
 Uncompress using 'gunzip' or similar. All relevant files are in
 text format, open them using any available text editor. Contents: *
 `tisc/README` instructions for compilation and software setup. *
 `tisc/doc/tisc.info.txt` Main documentation file explaining command-line
 syntax, inputs and outputs, references, etc. * `tisc/doc/template.PRM`
 Template parameter file. Contains the default parameter values and their
 units. * `tisc/demo/` Several examples. Most relevant to the paper
 is `tisc/demo/4_river_transport` * `tisc/src/tisc.c` Main source code
 file. Other *.c files in this directory are libraries. * `tisc/Makefile`
 Main makefile for installation. See instructions in tisc/README. * TISC
 uses the open-sourced GMT4 software for the graphic PostScript output,
 available
 at [https://www.generic-mapping-tools.org/](https://www.generic-mapping-tools.org/) Once compiled, TISC is to be run with the command `tisc LagoMare -Pc -V3 | tee LagoMare.screen` During the run, TISC will read the input files (those with uppercase extension) and will write the output files (lowercase extension) provided below. Runtime is about a week in a M2 processor for MacOS.  ## Code in the working directory * The only piece of code that must stay in the working directory  compressed in `2025-02-13_MJ_M0_REFERENCE_for_Dryad.zip` is `tisc.gmt.job`, a C-shell script that calls GMT4 commands to produce the graphic output in the `LagoMare.ps` file. ## Inputs `2025-02-13_MJ_M0_REFERENCE_for_Dryad.zip` The input and output files for the reference model in the paper (M0) are: * `LagoMare.PRM` The main parameter file read by TISC containing the temporal, spatial and mechanical settings of the model. Format is in two columns: parameter_name and value. The rest of the text are comments. See also the commented template in the code (ablove) to discover additional TISC parameters. The key parameters defining the rectangular grid are `xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax` for the boundaries of the model [m] and `Nx, Ny` [m] for the number of cellls in x,y directions. `Timini`, `Timefinal`, and `dt` define the 114 time steps of the model run (hence the 114 jpg graphic output files). * `LagoMare.ZINI` Our topographic reconstruction of the peri-Mediterranean and western Asia region described in the article's text. Format: Three-column xyz text file, skyline sorted. Only the z values (in meters above present sea level) are relevant, because the x,y (longitude,latitude) values are assumed to fit the model grid (defined by the xmin,xmax, ymin,ymax and the Nx,Ny parameters in the *.PRM file) * `LagoMare.NDEF` Definition of additional river at the boundaries. Format: one line for each addition of sediment or water: x[m], y[m], increase_in_water[m3/s], increase*_*in_sediment[kg/s] * `LagoMare.INS` Insolation curve from Laskar et al. 2004 used for rainfall time changes. TISC will multiply a factor insolation/mean_insolation to the precipitation and to the discharges specified in *.NDEFS. Thus, absolute insolation values in this file and their units are irrelevant. Format: time1[My] insolation1 time2[My] insolation3 time3[My] insolation3 ... ... * `LagoMare[N].UNIT` with [N] a number from 1 to 4. These files allow ad-hoc modifications of the topography in ZINI to force the closure and reconnection with the Atlantic Ocean as known from geological data, as well as to comply with knowledge of the Messinian paramediterranean geography (e.g., the Iron Gate gorge is removed to cause the large Pannonian lake system seen in the Pannonian sedimentary record. Format: The time when each file  is loaded is set in the first line. The spatial distribution of changes in the topography are interpolated between the x,y polygons provided in each file. See `tisc/doc/template.UNIT` explained template in the code repository. * `LagoMare.`RIV This file allows providing an x-y path (in m) along which the topography will be modified cell by cell to force the maximum slope follow that path. In other words, this is to force certain river channels that are know to exist during the Messinian times. * `LagoMare.INT` This file defines a x-y polygon (in km) of interest where statistics such as the sediment volume are tracked. To be calculated during the execution of graphic script `tisc.gmt.job.` See more details about the format and contents of all these input files in `tisc/doc/tisc.info.txt` that goes along with the code. ## Outputs Outputs are also text files with a lowercase extension (see tisc.info.txt) except for the PostScript graphic file *.ps, which can be imported by most graphic softwares such as Canvas, CorelDraw etc, or converted to jpg or gif using the freeware ImageMagick. * `LagoMare.screen` a copy of the terminal text output. * `LagoMare.bas` River basins sorted by drainage basins (top to bottom). In columns: x[km] y[km] dischg[m3/s] masstr[kg/s] type topo[m] length[km] chi[km] x-to y-to topo-to[m] length-to[km] chi-to[km] eros_rate[m/My] accumul_erosion[m] level nodes_above * `LagoMare.hrz` Surfaces of the base of each sediment layer and the topography. Format in columns: x(km) y(km) z1(m) z2(m) z3(m) ... * `LagoMare.lak` Lake cells sorted by lake.  Format in columns: x(km) y(km) type(Lake or Sea) * `LagoMare.st` Erosion/sedimentation rates and accumulated values. Format: x(km) y(km) topo[m] accumul_erosion[m] eros_rate[m/My] * `LagoMare.xyw` Drainage network information. Format in columns: x(km) y(km) water(m3/s) sed[kg/s] type topo[m] x-to y-to topo-to precipt[mm/y] evapora[mm/y] ice_thick[m] ice_sed_load[m] swim_dist[km] * `LagoMare.ps` Postscript file produced by tisc.gmt.job at each time step. Imported by most graphic softwares such as Inkscape. * `LagoMare???.jpg` JPEG copies of each time-step's `LagoMare.ps`. ## Supplementary Material of the article `2025-01_science_supplementary_materials_-_after_reviews.pdf` This file contains the supplementary materials complementing the original paper in Science Advances (García-Castellanos et al., 2025).  ## Details on the source code and file structure TISC is a program written in C under Linux to calculate the 2D (planform) flexure of the lithosphere, fluvial transport along, and, in particular, to numerically simulate the formation of foreland basins. TISC is the 3D version of the cross-section (pseudo 2D) numerical model tAo, and uses the finite difference technique. Main author: Daniel Garcia-Castellanos (CSIC) Details on authorship and citation in 'tisc/doc/tisc.info.txt'. See license details in the documentation at tisc/doc/LICENSE.txt. ### TO INSTALL TISC: TISC has been developed in C under Linux, and is ready for compilation in a Mac Linux environment. -Uncompress the downloaded file in a directory 'tisc/'. -Modify compiling options by editing 'tisc/config.mk' and 'tisc/src/Makefile'. -Compile typing 'make' in the main directory. This will create the executable tisc in the tisc/bin/ directory. You should then put tisc/bin/ and tisc/script/ in your shell path. -Install GMT 4 (freeware software, used for graphic output) and put its bin/ directory in your path. This should work: ``` sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install gmt ksh csh tofrodos ``` -The GMT scripts are written in C-shell language. -Try examples of running TISC going to directory 'tisc/demo/'. This will allow you to be sure that the code is working properly. Check that the graphic output is correctly produced in the postscript output files (*.ps) -Read the 'doc/tisc.info.txt' file to know more about how to use TISC. -Note: upon installation, TISC will attempt to notify us by mail about your installation, but this usually fails, depending on your linux email configuration. Please send a brief email so that we can add you to our list and notify about any important bug that may arise (this never happend more than once per year, so far). Once the TISC code is compiled and GMT installed, run the model from that directory using the command stated in the header of the LagoMare.PRM file. ### Additional software required Graphic output is produced by default using the free software GMT version 4. ### Access information Other publicly accessible locations for TISC: * [https://github.com/danigeos/tisc](https://github.com/danigeos/tisc) * [https://sites.google.com/site/daniggcc/software/tisc](https://sites.google.com/site/daniggcc/software/tisc) [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.r2280gbpf](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.r2280gbpf)