Parallel adaptive numerical simulation of dry avalanches over natural terrain

High-fidelity computational simulation can be an invaluable tool in planning strategies for hazard risk mitigation. The accuracy and reliability of the predictions are crucial elements of these tools being successful. We present here a new simulation tool for dry granular avalanches using several new techniques for enhancing numerical solution accuracy. Highlights of our new methodology are the use of a depth-averaged model of the conservation laws and an adaptive grid Godunov solver to solve the resulting equations. The software is designed to run on distributed memory supercomputers and makes use of digital elevation data dynamically, i.e., refine the grid and input data to finer resolutions to better capture flow features as the flow evolves. Our simulations are validated using quantitative and qualitative comparisons to tabletop experiments and data from field observations. Our software is freely available and uses only publicly available libraries and hence can be used on a wide range of hardware and software platforms.