Draft submission to JOSS

[jatkinson1000]

This is tracking a paper draft for submission to JOSS.

We will need to make some adjustments following the new requirements as can be found here:
https://joss.readthedocs.io/en/latest/submitting.html#scope-and-significance

TODO:

• Revisit the Section headings and align to new JOSS Requirements - @jatkinson1000
• Add missing sections - @jatkinson1000
• Review current paper against requirements - @sjavis
• Add section on research impact - @sjavis perhaps also with input from Alison
  • Some nice graphics?
  • Reference EGU Submission

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So in summary, the requested additions are:

• State of the Field (~200 words): A description of how this software compares to other commonly-used packages in the research area. If related tools exist, provide a clear "build vs. contribute" justification explaining your unique scholarly contribution and why existing alternatives are insufficient.
• Software Design (~200 words): An explanation of the trade-offs you weighed, the design/architecture you chose, and why it matters for your research application. This should demonstrate meaningful design thinking beyond a superficial code structure description.
• Research Impact Statement (~200 words): Evidence of realized impact (publications, external use, integrations) or credible near-term significance (benchmarks, reproducible materials, community-readiness signals). The evidence should be compelling and specific, not aspirational.
• AI Usage Disclosure: Transparent disclosure of any use of generative AI in the software creation, documentation, or paper authoring. If no AI tools were used, state this explicitly. If AI tools were used, describe how they were used and how the quality and correctness of AI-generated content was verified.

[sjavis]

Suggestions for places to change. I will do this as a separate PR into this one.

[sjavis]

Word count:

• Summary: 169
• Statement of need: 265
• Software design: 375
• Research impact statement: 116
• State of the field: 230
• Total (exc. Acknowledgements & AI disclosure): 1155

Total length is good (in 750-1750) but the software design should be cut back (recommended length is ~200 words)

[jatkinson1000]

Looks really good @sjavis

Some small suggestions