A finite area scheme for shallow granular flows

Granular mass flows, such as snow avalanches are frequent and destructive events with high socio economic impact in alpine regions. Numerical models for avalanches are usually based on thin film models, which can be solved with the Finite Area Method. To account for pressure changes due to centrifugal forces, which drastically change the behavior of shallow granular flows, the Finite Area Method has been extended for surface normal differential operators. This enables us to solve the shallow granular flow model on arbitrary terrain.