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The graph area functional is finite on $H^1$, since $\sqrt{1+|\nabla u{|}^2}\le 1+|\nabla u|$ and $\Omega$ has finite volume. For $p=\nabla u$, $q=\nabla v$, the difference quotient of $\sqrt{1+|p+tq{|}^2}$ is bounded in absolute value by $|q|$. This is integrable by the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. The dominated convergence theorem therefore givesThis defines a bounded linear functional of $v$, since $|⟨A(u),v⟩|\le |\Omega {|}^{1/2}\Vert \nabla v{\Vert }_2$.

For $a(p)=p/\sqrt{1+|p{|}^2}$ the Jacobian matrix isThe inequality follows from the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. Integrating this derivative along the segment between any two gradients shows $(a(p)-a(r))\cdot (p-r)\ge 0$. Integrating over $\Omega$ proves that $A$ is a monotone operator.

It is not coercive on $H^1(\Omega )$. The constant functions $u_k\equiv k$ satisfy $\Vert u_k{\Vert }_{H^1}=k|\Omega {|}^{1/2}\to \infty$ but $A(u_k)=0$. Thus $⟨A(u_k),u_k⟩/\Vert u_k{\Vert }_{H^1}=0$.