The Aquatic Ecosystem Model Ensemble (AEME) package allows you to setup and run an ensemble of aquatic ecosystem models. The models are DYRESM-CAEDYM, GLM-AED, GOTM-WET and Simstrat-AED2.
This package was developed by LimnoTrack as
part of the Lake Ecosystem Research New Zealand Modelling
Platform (LERNZmp) project.

You can install AEME from GitHub with:
# install.packages("devtools")
devtools::install_github("limnotrack/AEME")Model executables are no longer bundled with the AEME package. You will need to install the models after downloading.
library(AEME)
install_models()Model availability by operating system:
| Model | Windows | MacOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| DYRESM-CAEDYM | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| GLM-AED | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| GOTM-WET | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Simstrat-AED2 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
This is a basic example which shows you how to build and run one of the models in the ensemble:
library(AEME)
## basic example code
tmpdir <- tempdir()
aeme_dir <- system.file("extdata/lake/", package = "AEME")
# Copy files from package into tempdir
file.copy(aeme_dir, tmpdir, recursive = TRUE)
path <- file.path(tmpdir, "lake")
aeme <- yaml_to_aeme(path = path, "aeme.yaml")
model_controls <- get_model_controls(use_bgc = TRUE)
model <- c("dy_cd", "glm_aed", "gotm_wet", "simstrat_aed2")
aeme <- build_aeme(path = path, aeme = aeme, model = model,
model_controls = model_controls,
ext_elev = 5, use_bgc = TRUE)
aeme <- run_aeme(aeme = aeme, model = model, verbose = FALSE,
path = path, parallel = TRUE)The model input and output is handled as it’s own S4 object of class
aeme. This allows for the standardisation and generalisation of
functions for this class alongside ensuring integrity and validity to
it’s structure.
class(aeme)
#> [1] "Aeme"
#> attr(,"package")
#> [1] "AEME"This allows for easier handling of the model output data within our structure and allows for condensed output to be printed to the console:
aeme
#>
#> ── AEME ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#>
#> ── Lake ──
#>
#> Wainamu (ID: LID45819)
#> • Lat: -36.89; Lon: 174.47
#> • Elev: 23.64m; Depth: 13.07m; Area: 152343 m2
#>
#> ── Time ──
#>
#> • Start: 2020-08-01; Stop: 2021-06-30; Time step: 3600
#> • Spin up (days): GLM: 2; GOTM: 1; DYRESM: 1; Simstrat: 2
#>
#> ── Configuration ──
#>
#> • Model: dy_cd, glm_aed, gotm_wet, and simstrat_aed2
#> • Path: 'C:\Users\mooret\AppData\Local\Temp\RtmpCYtUii\lake'
#> • Model controls: Present
#> • Use biogeochemical model: Yes
#> ┌ Model Configuration ─────────────────────────────────────────┐
#> │ Model Physical Biogeochemical │
#> │ --- │
#> │ DY-CD Present Present │
#> │ GLM-AED Present Present │
#> │ GOTM-WET Present Present │
#> │ SIMSTRAT-AED2 Present Present │
#> └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
#>
#> ── Observations ──
#>
#> • Lake: Present; Level: Present
#>
#> ── Input ──
#>
#> • Initial profile: Present; Initial depth: 13.07m
#> • Hypsograph: Present (n=44)
#> • Meteo: Present; Use longwave: TRUE; Kw: 1.31
#>
#> ── Inflows ──
#>
#> • Number of inflows: 1; Names: FWMT
#> • Scaling factors: DY-CD: 1; GLM-AED: 1; GOTM-WET: 1; Simstrat-AED2: 1
#>
#> ── Outflows ──
#>
#> • Number of outflows: 2; Names: outflow, wbal; Elevations: -1, -1
#> • Scaling factors: DY-CD: 1; GLM-AED: 1; GOTM-WET: 1; Simstrat-AED2: 1
#>
#> ── Water Balance ──
#>
#> • Method: 2; Use: obs
#> • Modelled: Absent; Water balance: Present
#>
#> ── Parameters ──
#>
#> • Number of parameters: 0
#>
#> ── Output ──
#>
#> • DY-CD: 1
#> • GLM-AED: 1
#> • GOTM-WET: 1
#> • SIMSTRAT-AED2: 1
#> • Variables: 44
#> Water temperature, Thermocline depth, Dissolved oxygen, Total chlorophyll a,
#> Total nitrogen, Total phosphorus, Water level, Lake depth, Water density,
#> Stratified, ... and 34 moreModel data can be visualised easily using the plot_output() function:
p1 <- plot_output(aeme = aeme, var_sim = "HYD_temp")
p1Also, visualising lake level plots.
p2 <- plot_wlev(aeme = aeme)
p2We have a host of vignettes to help you get started with AEME:
Model-specific and use-case articles (GLM-AED, Simstrat-AED2, water balance calibration, and more) are listed under Articles on the package website.
- aemetools - For downloading meteorological data, calibration and sensitivity analysis.
- bathytools - For processing lake bathymetry data.
- ltapi - For querying LimnoTrack’s lake and water quality API.


