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At least 559 records · Page 31

Automated Symbolic Upscaling: 1. Model Generation for Extended Applicability Regimes

Abstract In porous media theory, upscaling techniques are fundamental to deriving rigorous Darcy‐scale models for flow and reactive transport in subsurface systems. Due to limitations in classical techniques, a number of ad hoc approaches have been proposed to address physical regimes in which reactive time scales are similar to, or faster than, diffusive time scales. In Part 1 of this two part series, we present a strategy for expanding the applicability of classical homogenization theory by generalizing the assumed closure form. We detail the implementation of this strategy on two reactive mass transport problems with moderately reactive physics. The strategy produces nontrivial homogenized models with emergent terms and effective parameters that couple reactive, diffusive, and advective transport. The differences in equation forms between the macroscopic and pore‐scale descriptions advise caution to further studies where the forms of macroscopic equations are assumed, as opposed to rigorously derived. Numerical validation is provided for each problem to show that the error estimates of homogenization theory are satisfied, and to justify the implemented strategy. In Part 2, the presented strategy is automated using symbolic computing to expedite its implementation.

Pietrzyk, Kyle↗

Carbon Outgassing in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current Is Supported by Ekman Transport From the Sea Ice Zone in an Observation‐Based Seasonal Mixed‐Layer Budget

Despite its importance for the global cycling of carbon, there are still large gaps in our understanding of the processes driving annual and seasonal carbon fluxes in the high-latitude Southern Ocean. This is due in part to a historical paucity of observations in this remote, turbulent, and seasonally ice-covered region. Here, we use autonomous biogeochemical float data spanning 6 full seasonal cycles and with circumpolar coverage of the Southern Ocean, complemented by atmospheric reanalysis, to construct a monthly climatology of the mixed layer budget of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). We investigate the processes that determine the annual mean and seasonal cycle of DIC fluxes in two different zones of the Southern Ocean—the Sea Ice Zone (SIZ) and Antarctic Southern Zone (ASZ). We find that, annually, mixing with carbon-rich waters at the base of the mixed layer supplies DIC which is, in the ASZ, either used for net biological production or outgassed to the atmosphere. In contrast, in the SIZ, where carbon outgassing and the biological pump are weaker, the surplus of DIC is instead advected northward to the ASZ. In other words, carbon outgassing in the southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), which has been attributed to remineralized carbon from deep water upwelled in the ACC, is also due to the wind-driven transport of DIC from the SIZ. These results stem from the first observation-based carbon budget of the circumpolar Southern Ocean and thus provide a useful benchmark to evaluate climate models, which have significant biases in this region.

Sauvé, Jade↗

Parameterization of the Elevated Convection With a Unified Convection Scheme (UNICON) and Its Impacts on the Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation

To improve the simulation of nocturnal precipitation, we develop a parameterization for the elevated convection that is launched from the level of maximum grid-mean moist static energy, when grid-mean vertical flow is upward at the launching interface. The parameterized elevated convection is forced by both cold pool-driven and partially resolved external mesoscale organized flows. Properties of the external mesoscale flow are estimated from grid-mean vertical velocity and three dimensional advection tendencies of temperature and moisture. The new parameterization is implemented into a unified convection scheme (UNICON) and tested for both the single-column case at the Southern Great Plain (SGP) site in US and in global simulations. At the SGP site, the parameterized elevated convection strengthens nocturnal convection, increases nocturnal precipitation, and better simulates the observed diurnal cycle of precipitation. It appears that the elevated and surface-based convections interact with each other by stabilizing the atmospheric column, which affects subsequent convection. Global simulation shows that the elevated convection mostly occurs over the continents during the night, and also over the oceanic mid-latitude warm air advection and storm track regions during summer. Without degrading global mean climate, the elevated convection improves the simulation of nocturnal precipitation in the mid-US but simulates somewhat strong nocturnal precipitation in northeastern Asia. It seems that a key to simulate observed nocturnal precipitation is to appropriately parameterize the impacts of external organized flow on the elevated convection.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Sensitivity of Arctic Surface Temperature to Including a Comprehensive Ocean Interior Reflectance to the Ocean Surface Albedo Within the Fully Coupled CESM2

Abstract Almost all current climate models simplify the ocean surface albedo (OSA) by assuming the reflected solar energy without the ocean interior contribution. In this study, an improved ocean surface albedo scheme is incorporated into the Community Earth System Model version 2 (CESM2) to assess the sensitivity of Arctic surface temperature to including ocean interior reflectance to the OSA. Fully coupled CESM2 simulations with and without ocean interior reflectance are subsequently performed, we focus on the analysis of Arctic surface temperature responses. Incorporating ocean interior reflectance increases absorbed solar radiation and warms the ocean, enhancing seasonal heat storage and release across the Arctic Ocean, and increasing sea ice reduction and positive climate feedbacks that elevates Arctic surface temperature. Seasonal variations in air‐surface temperature differences induce changes in turbulent heat flux patterns, concurrently modifying dynamic advection and moisture processes that affect boundary layer humidity and low clouds, especially in winter. Based on partitioning physical processes in the thermodynamic energy equation, surface air warming is induced primarily through positive heating anomalies of vertical advection, latent heat release, and longwave radiative forcing. Through an examination of the surface energy budget, skin temperature warming is driven predominantly by increased downward longwave radiation, positive surface albedo feedback in summer, and increased conductive heat transport from the ocean particularly in winter. Significant effects of ocean interior reflectance on the Arctic Ocean, including sea surface warming and sea ice reduction, justify the importance of ocean interior reflectance in climate models for better understanding of ongoing Arctic climate changes.

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences↗

The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations

Abstract Hyporheic zones are commonly regarded as resilient and enduring interfaces between groundwater and surface water in river corridors. In particular, bedform‐induced advective pumping hyporheic exchange (bedform‐induced exchange) is often perceived as a relatively persistent mechanism in natural river systems driving water, solutes, and energy exchanges between the channel and its surrounding streambed sediments. Numerous studies have been based on this presumption. To evaluate the persistence of hyporheic zones under varying hydrologic conditions, we use a multi‐physics framework to model advective pumping bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange in response to a series of seasonal‐ and event‐scale groundwater table fluctuation scenarios, which lead to episodic river‐aquifer disconnections and reconnections. Our results suggest that hyporheic exchange is not as ubiquitous as generally assumed. Instead, the bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange is restricted to a narrow range of conditions characterized by minor river‐groundwater head differences, is intermittent, and can be easily obliterated by minor losing groundwater conditions. These findings shed light on the fragility of bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange and have important implications for biogeochemical transformations along river corridors.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Numerical Mixing Suppresses Submesoscale Baroclinic Instabilities Over Sloping Bathymetry

Abstract The impacts of spurious numerical salinity mixing on the larger‐scale flow and tracer fields are characterized using idealized simulations. The idealized model is motivated by realistic simulations of the Texas‐Louisiana shelf and features oscillatory near‐inertial wind forcing. can exceed the physical mixing from the turbulence closure in frontal zones and within the mixed layer. This suggests that simulated mixing processes in frontal zones are driven largely by . Near‐inertial alongshore wind stress amplitude is varied to identify a base case that maximizes the ratio of to in simulations with no prescribed horizontal mixing. We then test the sensitivity of the base case with three tracer advection schemes (MPDATA, U3HC4, and HSIMT) and conduct ensemble runs with perturbed bathymetry. Instability growth is evaluated using the volume‐integrated eddy kinetic energy and available potential energy . While all schemes have similar total mixing, the HSIMT simulations have over double the volume‐integrated and 20% less relative to other schemes, which suppresses the release of and reduces the by roughly 25%. This results in reduced isohaline variability and steeper isopycnals, evidence that enhanced suppresses instability growth. Differences in and between the MPDATA and U3HC4 simulations are marginal. However, the U3HC4 simulations have 25% more . Experiments with variable horizontal viscosity and diffusivity coefficients show that small amounts of prescribed horizontal mixing improve the representation of the ocean state for all advection schemes by reducing the and increasing the .

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Complex Dependence of Calcite Crack Kinetics on Salinity: The Role of DLVO and Hydration Forces

Abstract Subcritical crack growth (SCG) plays an important role in many geological processes such as delayed earth rupture and rock weathering. The complex dependency of SCG on the in‐crack fluid chemistry, however, is still poorly understood. In this study, we utilize the newly developed surface force‐based fracture theory (SFFT) to elucidate the relative contributions of surface forces and solute transport to the crack growth kinetics of calcite in NaCl solutions. Expanding on Barenblatt's cohesive crack model, SFFT introduces an effective stress intensity at the crack tip that encompasses all the relevant intermolecular forces across the crack in addition to the external far‐field stresses. The nonlinear system of equations portraying the crack opening profile, the solute distribution in a propagating crack, and the crack growth velocity are numerically solved via an implicit scheme. After carefully calibrating the model for calcite‐water systems, the SFFT is used to predict the SCG response of calcite at different NaCl concentrations, based on various hypotheses. These predictions are then compared to existing SCG data from the literature. We demonstrate that the experimentally observed variation of SCG rate with NaCl concentration cannot be explained solely by DLVO forces (electrostatic and Van der Waals interactions). This can be remediated by introducing an exponentially decaying hydration force with a nonlinear, nonmonotonic dependence on NaCl concentration. Furthermore, we demonstrate that accounting for both diffusive and advective transport of ions is important in explaining the absence of a stage‐II SCG response for calcite in electrolyte solutions. Plain Language Summary Subcritical crack growth (SCG) refers to the slow propagation of cracks in materials under a stress below the threshold for catastrophic failure. SCG is a key process in many geological events, for example, delayed earth ruptures and rock weathering. New initiatives such as underground CO 2 and H 2 storage in carbonate reservoirs further call for better understanding of SCG in carbonate minerals subjected to varying fluid chemistry. This study examines the SCG of calcite, a key mineral found in carbonate rocks, intergranular cement in sandstones, and filling material in mineral veins and faults, determining their deformation and strength. A mathematical model is developed to describe how the crack opens and propagates, how solutes (like salts) distribute within the crack, and how the crack surfaces interact with each other. We used the model to predict calcite SCG in water at different salt concentrations and compared it with experimental data. Our results revealed that the hydration force is the dominating factor in determining the complex, non‐linear dependency of SCG on salinity. We also found that both the movement of ions by diffusion and by bulk water flow are crucial for explaining the SCG rates, especially when the cracks grow quickly. Key Points Surface Force‐Based Fracture Theory predicts the complex subcritical crack growth patterns of calcite crystals immersed in NaCl solutions Results highlight the dominant role of hydration forces in altering the fracture behavior of calcite compared to VdW and electric double‐layer forces Advective solute transport explains the absence of stages‐II and ‐III subcritical crack growth responses in solid‐liquid systems

DLVO↗

Effects of Dissolution Regimes on Flow Channelization and Solute Transport in 3D Fracture Networks: Insights From Graph‐Based Reactive Transport Modeling

We investigate how mineral dissolution reshapes flow pathways and solute transport in three‐dimensional discrete fracture networks using a computationally efficient graph‐based reactive transport model. The DFNs are inspired by field‐site observations of fractured carbonate and represent realistic connectivity and structural heterogeneity. Flow is simulated with the Reynolds equation, and dissolution follows first‐order kinetics with diffusive limitations captured through an effective mass‐transfer coefficient. By systematically varying two key dimensionless parameters, the effective Damköhler number (Da), governing reaction versus advection rates, and a transport parameter (Da), analogous to the Thiele modulus, distinct flow channelization regimes emerge: mildly channelized at low G, highly channelized at intermediate Da, and extreme wormhole formation at high Da and low G. Eulerian and Lagrangian analyses, including breakthrough curves, particle tortuosity, dispersivity, and flow channeling indicators quantitatively characterize the progression of dissolution‐driven network restructuring. Across all regimes, initial fracture heterogeneity persists. The results underscore how the interplay between this initial structure, advection, reaction, and diffusion critically shapes subsurface flow pathways, with implications for applications ranging from groundwater remediation to enhanced geothermal systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Role of Diurnal Cycle of Insolation on the MJO Propagation in the Maritime Continent

The diurnal cycle of convection in the Maritime Continent (MC) has been hypothesized to act as a barrier to the eastward propagation of the Madden‐Julian oscillation (MJO). To test this hypothesis, we use a regional model with realistic MJO to simulate an event from the boreal spring of 2013 that weakened and stalled over the MC. Two simulations are conducted: one that includes the diurnal cycle of insolation (CTL), and another without it (NO_DC). The MJO in the simulations was identified and tracked using a large‐scale precipitation tracking method that distinguishes propagation and non‐propagation unlike the usual Real‐time Multivariate MJO method. In the NO_DC simulation, the absence of diurnal heating reduces land precipitation, allowing more continuous eastward MJO propagation. An analysis of moist static energy budget reveals that MJO maintenance in NO_DC is due to increased longwave heating and reduced advection, whereas the persistent MJO propagation in NO_DC is due to increased advection and reduced longwave heating and surface latent heat flux. These processes, however, may vary across different parts of the MC, emphasizing the complexity of MJO propagation across the MC.

Zhou, Xin [National Center for Atmospheric Researc↗

Perivascular network segmentations derived from high-field MRI and their implications for perivascular and parenchymal mass transport in the rat brain

A custom segmentation workflow was applied to ex vivo high-field MR images of rat brains acquired following in vivo intraventricular contrast agent infusion to generate maps of the perivascular spaces (PVS). The resulting perivascular network segmentations enabled analysis of perivascular connections to the ventricles, parenchymal solute clearance, and dispersive solute transport within PVS. Numerous perivascular connections between the brain surface and the ventricles suggest the ventricles integrate into a PVS-mediated clearance system and raise the possibility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) return from the subarachnoid space to the ventricles via PVS. Assuming rapid solute exchange between the PVS and CSF spaces primarily by advection, the extensive perivascular network decreased the mean clearance distance from parenchyma to the nearest CSF compartment resulting in an over 21-fold reduction in the estimated diffusive clearance time scale, irrespective of solute diffusivity. This corresponds to an estimated diffusive clearance time scale under 10 min for amyloid-beta which suggests that the widespread distribution of PVS may render diffusion an effective parenchymal clearance mechanism. Additional analysis of oscillatory solute dispersion within PVS indicates that advection rather than dispersion is likely the primary transport mechanism for dissolved compounds greater than 66 kDa in the long (> 2 mm) perivascular segments identified here, although dispersion may be significant for smaller compounds in shorter perivascular segments.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Critical dynamics of gravito-convective mixing in geological carbon sequestration

When CO 2 is injected in saline aquifers, dissolution causes a local increase in brine density that can cause Rayleigh-Taylor-type gravitational instabilities. Depending on the Rayleigh number, density-driven flow may mix dissolved CO 2 throughout the aquifer at fast advective time-scales through convective mixing. Heterogeneity can impact density-driven flow to different degrees. Zones with low effective vertical permeability may suppress fingering and reduce vertical spreading, while potentially increasing transverse mixing. In more complex heterogeneity, arising from the spatial organization of sedimentary facies, finger propagation is reduced in low permeability facies, but may be enhanced through more permeable facies. The connectivity of facies is critical in determining the large-scale transport of CO 2 -rich brine. We perform high-resolution finite element simulations of advection-diffusion transport of CO 2 with a focus on facies-based bimodal heterogeneity. Permeability fields are generated by a Markov Chain approach, which represent facies architecture by commonly observed characteristics such as volume fractions. CO 2 dissolution and phase behavior are modeled with the cubic-plus-association equation-of-state. Our results show that the organization of high-permeability facies and their connectivity control the dynamics of gravitationally unstable flow. Lastly, we discover new flow regimes in both homogeneous and heterogeneous media and present quantitative scaling relations for their temporal evolution.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Particle entrainment in dead-end pores by diffusiophoresis

The transport of particulate matter to and from dead-end pores is difficult to achieve due to confinement effects. Diffusiophoresis is a phenomenon that results in the controlled motion of colloids along solute concentration gradients. Therefore, by establishing an electrolyte concentration gradient within dead-end pores, it is possible to induce the flow of particles into and out of the pores via diffusiophoresis, as has been demonstrated recently. In this paper, we explain the pore-scale mechanism by which individual colloids are entrained in dead-end pores by diffusiophoresis. We flow particles past a series of dead-end pores in the presence of a solute concentration gradient. Our results reveal that particles execute pore-to-pore hops before ultimately being captured. We categorize an event as particle capture when the particle's trajectory terminates within the dead-end pore. Experiments and numerical simulations demonstrate that particle capture only occurs when flowing particles are positioned sufficiently close to the pore entry. Outside this capture region, the particles have insufficient diffusiophoretic velocities to induce capture and their dynamics are largely dominated by their free-stream advective velocities. We observe that the particles move closer to the device wall as they hop, thereby reducing the effect of flow advection and increasing that of diffusiophoresis. Lastly, these results enhance our understanding of suspension dynamics in a driven system and have implications for the development, design, and optimization of diffusiophoretic platforms for drug delivery, cosmetics, and material recovery.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mechanistic understanding of carbon mineralization in fracture systems using microfluidics

Carbon mineralization in mafic and ultramafic rocks presents an opportunity for permanent carbon storage in the Earth's subsurface. However, due to their lower permeability, pre-existing fracture networks are key for mineralization to occur. Therefore, to fully develop this technology, a mechanistic understanding of the mineralization behavior in fractures with the consideration of hydrodynamic components is required. We use high-pressure microfluidics to investigate key mechanisms influencing dissolution–precipitation in a fracture network. The experiments were conducted in micromodels made of natural rocks with a comb-shaped flow channel to mimic a fracture network. This enabled studying the effect of injection rate on coupled dissolution–precipitation in advection and diffusion-dominated flow paths. We used gypsum carbonation as an analog reaction to allow for realistic experimental time frames due to its rapid reaction kinetics. The experimental work is coupled with high-fidelity numerical simulations to enhance our understanding of the parameters affecting the mineralization reaction. Our results demonstrate the importance of flow rate on the rate and nature of the gypsum carbonation reaction revealing that higher flow rates enable deeper penetration of the mineral precipitation front into the dead-end channels. This is an important finding since for sustained mineralization in a fracture network, precipitation in dead-ends while still allowing for flowing fractures is critical. Detailed characterization of the precipitates showed that lower flow rates led to porous and loose precipitates in the form of aragonite while higher flow rates mimicked supersaturation behavior leading to the formation of calcite. The reactive transport simulations further demonstrated the significance of flow velocity in advection-dominated channels to influence the efficiency of carbon mineralization in diffusion-dominated channels, potentially clogging of dead-end channels. These findings highlight the need for coupling chemical, mechanical, and hydrodynamic processes to evaluate the nature and extent of carbon mineralization in fractured media critical for permanent storage in mafic and ultramafic formations. This research further highlights the need for more investigation in potential subsurface fracture generation techniques to aid carbon mineralization.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Computational general relativistic force-free electrodynamics: I. Multi-coordinate implementation and testing

General relativistic force-free electrodynamics is one possible plasma-limit employed to analyze energetic outflows in which strong magnetic fields are dominant over all inertial phenomena. The amazing images of black hole (BH) shadows from the Galactic Center and the M87 galaxy provide a first direct glimpse into the physics of accretion flows in the most extreme environments of the universe. The efficient extraction of energy in the form of collimated outflows or jets from a rotating BH is directly linked to the topology of the surrounding magnetic field. We aim at providing a tool to numerically model the dynamics of such fields in magnetospheres around compact objects, such as BHs and neutron stars. To do so, we probe their role in the formation of high energy phenomena such as magnetar flares and the highly variable teraelectronvolt emission of some active galactic nuclei. In this work, we present numerical strategies capable of modeling fully dynamical force-free magnetospheres of compact astrophysical objects. Here, we provide implementation details and extensive testing of our implementation of general relativistic force-free electrodynamics in Cartesian and spherical coordinates using the infrastructure of the E INSTEIN T OOLKIT . The employed hyperbolic/parabolic cleaning of numerical errors with full general relativistic compatibility allows for fast advection of numerical errors in dynamical spacetimes. Such fast advection of divergence errors significantly improves the stability of the general relativistic force-free electrodynamics modeling of BH magnetospheres.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Analytical solutions to matrix diffusion problems

We report an analytical method to solve in a few cases of practical interest the equations which have traditionally been proposed for the matrix diffusion problem. In matrix diffusion, elements dissolved in ground water can penetrate the porous rock surronuding the advective flow paths. In the context of radioactive waste repositories this phenomenon provides a mechanism by which the area of rock surface in contact with advecting elements is greatly enhanced, and can thus be an important delay mechanism. The cases solved are relevant for laboratory as well for in situ experiments. Solutions are given as integral representations well suited for easy numerical solution.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Derivation of the Hall and extended magnetohydrodynamics brackets

There are several plasma models intermediate in complexity between ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and two-fluid theory, with Hall and Extended MHD being two important examples. In this paper, we investigate several aspects of these theories, with the ultimate goal of deriving the noncanonical Poisson brackets used in their Hamiltonian formulations. We present fully Lagrangian actions for each, as opposed to the fully Eulerian, or mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian, actions that have appeared previously. As an important step in this process, we exhibit each theory's two advected fluxes (in analogy to ideal MHD's advected magnetic flux), discovering also that with the correct choice of gauge they have corresponding Lie-dragged potentials resembling the electromagnetic vector potential, and associated conserved helicities. Finally, using the Euler-Lagrange map, we show how to derive the noncanonical Eulerian brackets from canonical Lagrangian ones.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Wave propagation in spatially modulated tubes

We investigate wave propagation in rotationally symmetric tubes with a periodic spatial modulation of cross section. Using an asymptotic perturbation analysis, the governing quasi-two-dimensional reaction-diffusion equation can be reduced into a one-dimensional reaction-diffusion-advection equation. Assuming a weak perturbation by the advection term and using projection method, in a second step, an equation of motion for traveling waves within such tubes can be derived. Both methods predict properly the nonlinear dependence of the propagation velocity on the ratio of the modulation period of the geometry to the intrinsic width of the front, or pulse. As a main feature, we observe finite intervals of propagation failure of waves induced by the tube’s modulation and derive an analytically tractable condition for their occurrence. For the highly diffusive limit, using the Fick-Jacobs approach, we show that wave velocities within modulated tubes are governed by an effective diffusion coefficient. Furthermore, we discuss the effects of a single bottleneck on the period of pulse trains. We observe period changes by integer fractions dependent on the bottleneck width and the period of the entering pulse train.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Quantification of mixing in vesicle suspensions using numerical simulations in two dimensions

Here, we study mixing in Stokesian vesicle suspensions in two dimensions on a cylindrical Couette apparatus using numerical simulations. The vesicle flow simulation is done using a boundary integral method, and the advection-diffusion equation for the mixing of the solute is solved using a pseudo-spectral scheme. We study the effect of the area fraction, the viscosity contrast between the inside (the vesicles) and the outside (the bulk) fluid, the initial condition of the solute, and the mixing metric. We compare mixing in the suspension with mixing in the Couette apparatus without vesicles. On the one hand, the presence of vesicles in most cases slightly suppresses mixing. This is because the solute can be only diffused across the vesicle interface and not advected. On the other hand, there exist spatial distributions of the solute for which the unperturbed Couette flow completely fails to mix whereas the presence of vesicles enables mixing. Finally, we derive a simple condition that relates the velocity and solute and can be used to characterize the cases in which the presence of vesicles promotes mixing.

42 ENGINEERING↗