ECCOMAS 2024

Modelling of Volcanic Plumes and Clouds: Implementation of Wind-caused Bending Effects and Coarse Particles in a Multi-GPU Accelerated LBM-WENO Code

  • Simionato, Riccardo (University of Geneva)
  • Lemus, Jonathan (University of Geneva)
  • Coreixas, Christophe (University of Geneva)
  • Latt, Jonas (University of Geneva)
  • Bonadonna, Costanza (University of Geneva)

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Explosive volcanic eruptions result into the emission of a mixture of pyroclasts and volcanic gases, which, entraining ambient air, may ascend into the atmosphere. Tephra, the volcanic fragments generated in explosive eruptions, ascends within the buoyant column based on their size and density and are subsequently transported laterally within the spreading current, until they eventually settle on the ground. The dispersal and fallout of tephra constitute a pervasive natural hazard with far-reaching implications. This phenomenon has the potential to significantly impact various economic sectors, including tourism and agriculture, pose health risks to humans and animals, inflict damage on infrastructure, and disrupt transportation systems such as aviation. To model the complex flow features including compressibility at sub- to transonic speeds, gas-particle and particle-particle interactions, and turbulence at multiple scales, we use a hybrid LBM-WENO approach and multi-GPU computing acceleration. The model integrates wind-advection and buoyancy through the implementation of high-resolution atmospheric data to accurately simulate the influence of wind on plume dynamics. Indeed, volcanic plumes trajectories are commonly bent-over by the wind, which also sets a main spreading direction of the volcanic cloud and, therefore, of particle sedimentation. Furthermore, several particle sizes are treated to accurately predict their sedimentation patterns on the ground and assess potential related hazards. We validated our results with field data, collected from several volcanological campaigns, and/or satellite data. The implementation of wind and coarse particles in our code will also provide the fundamental input parameters needed to parametrize more complex sedimentation processes in tephra transport and dispersal models, e.g., settling-driven gravitational instabilities and aggregation processes. In conclusion, this research represents a significant step forward in multi-dimensional volcanic plume modeling, offering new insights on volcanic eruption dynamics. So far, the model is intended to enhance our knowledge in plume dynamics and sedimentation, but, in the future, it will hopefully improve our ability to assess and manage volcanic hazards, providing valuable insights for practical applications in risk mitigation.