Author(s): Javier Fernandez-Pato; Carmen Castaneda; Maria Tierra
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Shallow lakes; Coastal morphodynamics; GPU computing; Shallow water equations; Wind-driven hydrodynamics; Littoral processes
Abstract: Shallow lakes in semi-arid regions display highly dynamic shorelines where microtopographic variations exert a strong control on local hydrodynamics and sediment redistribution. In this study, we analyze a representative sector of Gallocanta Lake (NE Spain) using a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)-accelerated two-dimensional shallow-water model applied over a high-resolution digital elevation dataset. The computational efficiency of GPU parallelization enables the exploration of multiple wind and water-level scenarios at fine spatial scales. The simulations reveal small-scale circulation patterns, localized zones of erosion and deposition, and the development of short littoral cells that remain undetected at coarser resolutions.
Year: 2026