2021 HAPPENING VIRTUALLY: SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering (times listed are CST)

Abstract. The modeling of sediment transport processes using hydro-morphodynamic models is vital in order to implement appropriate engineering schemes to limit coastal erosion and protect coastal zones. However, doing so is computationally challenging because the models must resolve both micro and macro spatial scales over a long period of time. In order to help overcome these challenges, we apply mesh movement methods to a depth-averaged hydro-morphodynamic model for the first time. These methods allow the mesh to move in response to the flow and morphology structures and thus are particularly appropriate for this type of problem. In this work, we consider a variety of test cases with complex evolving bathymetries, both in areas where the entire domain is wet and in areas where there exists a wetting-and-drying interface. We show that for all test cases, mesh movement methods improve the accuracy of our model and decrease the computational cost, meaning that in future, cases that were previously unfeasible to run can now be simulated.