Numerical Simulation of the Nador Lagoon by the Lattice Boltzmann Method

Coastal flows are generally simulated by computer codes based on conventional discretization methods such as finite difference method, finite element method, or finite volume method. They are rarely simulated by the lattice Boltzmann method. The aim of this paper is to present the preliminary results of the numerical resolution of the Saint–Venant equations based on the new lattice Boltzmann method. The code thus developed was successfully applied to the real case of the Nador lagoon (Mediterranean cost of Morocco). It allows to reproduce with great precision the tidal flow in the lagoon generated by the main semi-diurnal wave M2. This method has the advantage of being fast since its implementation is much faster than the conventional methods mentioned above. With its parallel version on graphics processing unit, it can be adopted for simulations of phenomena requiring rapid responses such as flash floods.