Late Quaternary stratigraphy and sedimentology of the inner part of southwest Joseph Bonaparte Gulf

Joseph Bonaparte Gulf is a large embayment on the northwestern continental margin of Australia. It is approximately 300 km east‐west and 120 km north‐south with a broad continental shelf to seaward. Maximum width from the southernmost shore of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf to the edge of the continental shelf is 560 km. Several large rivers enter the gulf along its shores. The climate is monsoonal, sub‐humid, and cyclone‐prone during the December‐March wet season. A bedrock high (Sahul Rise) rims the shelf margin. The sediments within the gulf are carbonates to seaward, grading into clastics inshore. A seaward‐thinning wedge of highstand muds dominates the sediments of the inner shelf of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf. Mud banks up to 15m thick have developed inshore. Coarse‐grained sand ridges up to 15 m high are found off the mouth of the Ord River. These overlie an Upper Pleistocene transgressive lag of mixed carbonate and gravelly siliciclastic sand. Four drowned strandlines are present on the inner shelf at depths of 20, 25, 28 and 30 m below datum. These are interpreted as having formed during stillstands in the Late Pleistocene transgression. Older strandlines at great depths are inferred as having formed during the fall in sea‐level following the last highstand. For the most part the Upper Pleistocene‐Holocene marine sediments overlie an erosion surface cut into older Pleistocene sediments. Incised valleys cut into this erosion surface are up to 5 km wide and have a relief of at least 20 m. The largest valley is that cut by the Ord River. Upper Pleistocene sediments deposited in the incised valleys include interpreted lowstand fluvial gravels, early transgressive channel sands and floodplain silts, and late transgressive estuarine sands and gravels. Older Pleistocene sediments are inferred to have been deposited before and during the 120 ka highstand (isotope stage 5). They consist of sandy calcarenites deposited in high‐energy tide‐dominated shelf environments. Still older shelf and valley‐fill sediments underlie these. The contrast between the Holocene muddy clastic sediments and the sandy carbonates deposited by the 120 ka highstand suggests that either the climate was more arid in the past, with less fluvial transport, or that mud was more effectively trapped in estuaries, allowing development of carbonate depositional environments inshore.     

A computational method for approximating a Darcy–Stokes system governing a vuggy porous medium

We develop and analyze a mixed finite element method for the solution of an elliptic system modeling a porous medium with large cavities, called vugs. It consists of a second-order elliptic (i.e., Darcy) equation on part of the domain coupled to a Stokes equation on the rest of the domain, and a slip boundary condition (due to Beavers–Joseph–Saffman) on the interface between them. The tangential velocity is not continuous on the interface. We consider a 2-D vuggy porous medium with many small cavities throughout its extent, so the interface is not isolated. We use a certain conforming Stokes element on rectangles, slightly modified near the interface to account for the tangential discontinuity. This gives a mixed finite element method for the entire Darcy–Stokes system with a regular sparsity pattern that is easy to implement, independent of the vug geometry, as long as it aligns with the grid. We prove optimal global first-order L ² convergence of the velocity and pressure, as well as the velocity gradient in the Stokes domain. Numerical results verify these rates of convergence and even suggest somewhat better convergence in certain situations. Finally, we present a lower dimensional space that uses Raviart–Thomas elements in the Darcy domain and uses our new modified elements near the interface in transition to the Stokes elements.     

Experimental and computational validation and verification of the Stokes–Darcy and continuum pipe flow models for karst aquifers with dual porosity structure

In our previous study, we developed the Stokes–Darcy (SD) model was developed for flow in a karst aquifer with a conduit bedded in matrix, and the Beavers–Joseph (BJ) condition was used to describe the matrix–conduit interface. We also studied the mathematical well‐posedness of a coupled continuum pipe flow (CCPF) model as well as convergence rates of its finite element approximation. In this study, to compare the SD model with the CCPF model, we used numerical analyses to validate finite element discretisation methods for the two models. Using computational experiments, simulation codes implementing the finite element discretisations are then verified. Further model validation studies are based on the results of laboratory experiments. Comparing the results of computer simulations and experiments, we concluded that the SD model with the Beavers–Joseph interface condition is a valid model for conduit–matrix systems. On the other hand, the CCPF model with the value of the exchange parameter chosen within the range suggested in the literature perhaps does not result in good agreement with experimental observations. We then examined the sensitivity of the CCPF model with respect to the exchange parameter, concluding that, as has previously been noted, the model is highly sensitive for small values of the exchange parameter. However, for larger values, the model becomes less sensitive and, more important, also produces results that are in better agreement with experimental observations. This suggests that the CCPF model may also produce accurate simulation results, if one chooses larger values of the exchange parameter than those suggested in the literature. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of property variation and modelling on convection in a fluid overlying a porous layer

An accurate computational analysis is presented for the onset of thermal convection in a two‐layer system which is comprised of a saturated layer of porous material described by Darcy's law, over which lies a layer of the same saturating fluid. The two‐layer system is heated from below and the upper (fluid) surface is allowed to be fixed or stress free. The onset of convection may have a bi‐modal nature in which convection may be dominated by the porous medium or by the fluid depending on the depths of the relative layers, but this is strongly controlled by material parameters. The effect of variation of relevant fluid and porous material properties is investigated in detail, as is the effect of the interface boundary condition between the fluid and the porous medium. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Jens Christian Hansen and professional Norwegian geography

The short article makes a small selection of early German literature containing the term ‘cultural landscape’ accessible for an English-language readership with the aim of enabling a broader discussion of the term. After a brief overview of the usage of ‘cultural landscape’ in geographical research, four German authors and their publications are presented. Carl Ritter appears to have been the first to use Culturlandschaft, in 1832. He was followed by Carl Vogel in 1851, Joseph Wimmer in 1882 and 1885, and Friedrich Ratzel in 1893. Analysis of their use of ‘cultural landscape’ reveals different dimensions of the term: a developmental perspective on cultural landscapes, i.e. cultural landscapes developed from natural landscapes; an opposition of nature and culture; and an understanding of cultural landscape as agricultural or park landscape. The process of cultivation is described with words with a positive connotation. The comparison of these dimensions with recent geographical literature shows that long-standing ideas continue to influence present-day usage.     

The intrinsic permeability of microcracks in porous solids: Analytical models and Lattice Boltzmann simulations

The paper presents a synthesis of analytical modeling and computational simulations of the intrinsic permeability of microcracks, embedded in porous materials taking into account the interaction of the fluid flow in the microcrack with the surrounding porous material. In the first part of the paper, using the DARCY , STOKES , BRINKMAN , and the BEAVERS–JOSEPH approximations, we derive the intrinsic permeability of a plain non‐rough microcrack in terms of the microcrack geometry and the permeability of the porous material surrounding the microcrack. In the second part of the paper, the intrinsic permeability of a microcrack is determined by means of computational simulations using the framework of the lattice Boltzmann method with partial bounceback conditions. The comparison of predictions from the analytical model and the numerical simulations show an excellent agreement. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于多波束背向散射强度信号的海底表层沉积物粒度分类研究——以澳洲Joseph Bonaparte湾为例

近海海底地形探测与沉积物精确分类对涉海工程建设、生物栖息地反演以及海底资源勘查与开发具有重要的现实意义。以澳洲Joseph Bonaparte湾为例，利用多波束测深技术获取了该海湾约880 km2水域的水深数据与背向散射强度信号，结合同步采集的54个海底表层沉积物样品，通过随机决策树模型对该海域海底表层沉积物进行了分类研究。结果表明:（1）利用随机决策树模型分析该海域沉积物类型与背向散射强度的关系时，当模型内部参数设置:树的总数为200，最小分裂节点为2，每棵树的最大分裂级数为5时，可提高预测准确率；（2）该参数设置下，利用13°和37°入射角的背向散射强度预测该海域沉积物类型时，准确率最高，其值为83.3%，且在研究海域，砂质砾和砾质砂分布在背向散射强度较强的深槽或海沟等地区，而砾质泥质砂和含砾泥质砂主要分布在背向散射强度较弱的浅水海域。分析还发现，当水深数据作为预测海底表层沉积物类型的特征变量时，有可能降低最终预测结果的准确率。     

A discretization and multigrid solver for a Darcy–Stokes system of three dimensional vuggy porous media

We develop a finite element discretization and multigrid solver for a Darcy–Stokes system of three-dimensional vuggy porous media, i.e., porous media with cavities. The finite element method uses low-order mixed finite elements in the Darcy and Stokes domains and special transition elements near the Darcy–Stokes interface to allow for tangential discontinuities implied by the Beavers–Joseph boundary condition. We design a multigrid method to solve the resulting saddle point linear system. The intertwining of the Darcy and Stokes subdomains makes the resulting matrix highly ill-conditioned. The velocity field is very irregular, and its discontinuous tangential component at the Darcy–Stokes interface makes it difficult to define intergrid transfer operators. Our definition is based on mass conservation and the analysis of the orders of magnitude of the solution. The coarser grid equations are defined using the Galerkin method. A new smoother of Uzawa type is developed based on taking an optimal step in a good search direction. Our algorithm has a measured convergence factor independent of the size of the system, at least when there are no disconnected vugs. We study the macroscopic effective permeability of a vuggy medium, showing that the influence of vug orientation; shape; and, most importantly, interconnectivity determine the macroscopic flow properties of the medium. This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under grants DMS-0074310 and DMS-0417431.     

Hydrodynamic modelling for groundwater flow through permeable reactive barriers

Hydrodynamic modelling for analysis of groundwater flow through permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) is addressed in this paper. Permeable reactive barriers constitute an emerging technology for in situ remediation of groundwater contamination and have many advantages over the traditional ex situ treatment methods. The transport domains during groundwater flow through PRBs often may involve free‐flow or non‐porous sections. To model the fluid mobility efficiently in such situations, the free and porous flow zones (PRBs) must be studied in conjunction with each other. The present paper is devoted to the analysis of groundwater flow through combined free flow domains and PRBs. The free‐flow regime is modelled using the Navier–Stokes equations whereas the permeable barriers are simulated by either the Darcy or the Brinkman equation. In order to couple the governing equations of motions, well‐posed mathematical formulations of matching boundary conditions are prescribed at the interface between the free‐groundwater‐flow zones and the permeable barriers. Combination of the Navier–Stokes equations with the Brinkman equation is more straightforward owing to their analogous forms. However, the Navier–Stokes and Darcy equations are incompatible mathematically and cannot be linked directly. The problem is resolved in this paper by invoking validated hydrodynamical expressions for describing the flow behaviour at the interfaces between free‐flow and porous zones. Three schemes for the analyses of fluid flow in combined domains are applied to the case of groundwater flow through permeable reactive barriers and different model results are compared. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Homogenization of a Darcy–Stokes system modeling vuggy porous media

We derive a macroscopic model for single-phase, incompressible, viscous fluid flow in a porous medium with small cavities called vugs. We model the vuggy medium on the microscopic scale using Stokes equations within the vugular inclusions, Darcy's law within the porous rock, and a Beavers–Joseph–Saffman boundary condition on the interface between the two regions. We assume periodicity of the medium and obtain uniform energy estimates independent of the period. Through a two-scale homogenization limit as the period tends to zero, we obtain a macroscopic Darcy's law governing the medium on larger scales. We also develop some needed generalizations of the two-scale convergence theory needed for our bimodal medium, including a two-scale convergence result on the Darcy–Stokes interface. The macroscopic Darcy permeability is computable from the solution of a cell problem. An analytic solution to this problem in a simple geometry suggests that: (1) flow along vug channels is primarily Poiseuille with a small perturbation related to the Beavers–Joseph slip, and (2) flow that alternates from vug to matrix behaves as if the vugs have infinite permeability.