Abstract
-The Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) is a well-known set of software
originally developed for geosciences, allowing scientists in climate and
solid earth disciplines to routinely create publish-ready maps and
graphics. However, GMT users rarely make animations despite their
undeniable benefit for understanding and teaching dynamical processes.
As reading habits shift from print to digital, capitalizing on
animations for illustrating scientific concepts is more accessible than
ever. In the latest GMT version (6.5) we have added and refined the
moving-making modules, alleviating the time-consuming steps that would
hinder GMT users from making such animations. In this paper we will
explain how GMT ”movie” works then provide six representative
examples, from basic to more advanced, to show some of its key features.
We hope our presentation will encourage the masses to routinely create
animations for their publications.