Katie Horton – EPS 109 Final Project
Method and Background
 Create a 2d array of values to
simulate coral growth in the Great
Barrier Reef
 One live coral attaches to dead coral
– sticking probability of dead/alive
 2 dimensional matrix with a solid
plane across the bottom
 The particles will grow with a certain
probability and stick to each other,
as the calcium carbonate shells of
the corals attach
 Periodic boundary conditions
 Two “dead” corals will not attach
 The acidified ocean will result in a
higher CO2 concentration, and thus
a lower CaCO3 concentration
Attempted:
 Unaffected corals grow at a
rate of about 1 cm/ year
 After organisms die,
accumulation and deposition
of calcium carbonate
(limestone) skeletons – CaCO3
 The distance between the new
and the adult polyps grow,
expanding the coral mass
randomly (within reason)
 https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=j35mHTksN9E
Coral as DLA
Greater x direction, < sticking probability
Instead of allowing for sticking at A(x,y),
allow at one position left or right. Takes
into account inability to move upwards
Greater sticking probability
Run my code with:
• Number of particles and sticking
probability
• 2-dimensional matrix and a y
direction buffer
• Walking probability of the new
corals/ particles
• Periodic Boundary Conditions
• Sticking probability with 1 of 4
neighbors filled
• For black and white: erosion
factor (will only move left or
right with the generated
number<0.8 and other 0.2 for
up/down, imaging erosion
• For color coral, higher sticking
probability, more full coral (no
ocean acidification)