Problem decomposition strategies for load balancing parallel computati
ons on adaptive hp finite element discretizations are discussed in thi
s work. The special difficulties that arise in partitioning these disc
retizations are highlighted. Three classes of algorithms-mesh traversa
l based on orderings, interface based decompositions and recursive bis
ection of orderings are discussed. A new ordering scheme for efficient
recursive bisection of orderings is introduced. Details of the algori
thms and examples along with discussions of their merits and demerits
are presented. Recursive bisection on the new ordering introduced here
outperforms several known algorithms on test cases.