The GeoClaw software for depth-averaged flows with adaptive refinement

TL;DR

GeoClaw is an open-source software package that employs adaptive mesh refinement and high-resolution finite volume methods to efficiently simulate two-dimensional depth-averaged geophysical flows such as tsunamis and storm surges.

Contribution

The paper introduces GeoClaw, a new software combining adaptive mesh refinement with shock-capturing methods for modeling large-scale geophysical flows.

Findings

Successfully modeled tsunamis, dam breaks, and storm surges.

Efficiently handled large-scale problems with adaptive refinement.

Provides open-source tools with visualization capabilities.

Abstract

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