The GeoClaw software for depth-averaged flows with adaptive refinement
This software provides a practical, open-source solution for researchers and engineers modeling geophysical flows, but it is an incremental contribution as it builds on existing Clawpack infrastructure.
The paper presents the GeoClaw software, an open-source tool for solving depth-averaged flow equations using adaptive mesh refinement and shock-capturing methods, with applications to tsunamis, dam breaks, and storm surge. No specific performance numbers are provided.
Many geophysical flow or wave propagation problems can be modeled with two-dimensional depth-averaged equations, of which the shallow water equations are the simplest example. We describe the GeoClaw software that has been designed to solve problems of this nature, consisting of open source Fortran programs together with Python tools for the user interface and flow visualization. This software uses high-resolution shock-capturing finite volume methods on logically rectangular grids, including latitude--longitude grids on the sphere. Dry states are handled automatically to model inundation. The code incorporates adaptive mesh refinement to allow the efficient solution of large-scale geophysical problems. Examples are given illustrating its use for modeling tsunamis, dam break problems, and storm surge. Documentation and download information is available at www.clawpack.org/geoclaw