Mesh adaptation strategies for shallow water flow

Abstract

We show how the mesh adaptation technique can be exploited for the numerical simulation of shallow water flow. The shallow water equations are numerically approximated by the Galerkin finite element method, using linear elements for the elevation field and quadratic elements for the unit width discharge field; the time advancing scheme is of a fractional step type. The standard mesh refinement technique is coupled with the numerical solver; movement and elimination of nodes of the initial triangulation is not allowed. Two error indicators are discussed and applied in the numerical examples. The conclusion focuses the relevant advantages obtained by applying this adaptive approach by considering specific test cases of steady and unsteady flows