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The Benney equation is a long-wave approximation for a gravity-driven thin film that expresses its volume flux per unit width locally in terms of height and its derivatives. For surface-velocity scaling on a plane inclined by $\alpha$, one normalization isHere $\epsilon$ is the film aspect ratio, $\mathrm{Re}$ the thickness-based Reynolds number, and $S$ the capillary parameter for a falling film. The leading velocity is parabolic. Its first inertial correction uses the leading mass conservation equation to eliminate the time derivative of the height. This local closure requires the correction to remain small; it does not describe arbitrary large-amplitude short-wave dynamics.

For downslope length scale $L$, film thickness scale $h_0$ and surface velocity scale $U_0=\rho g{h}_0^2\sin \alpha /(2\mu )$, this normalization makes the capillary part of the Benney equation flux $\epsilon S{h}^3{h}_{xxx}$. The dimensionless capillary pressure is $-3S{h}_{xx}/2$. Keeping $S=O(1)$ specifies a distinguished long-wave approximation in which surface tension remains relevant.

A long-wave approximation assumes that a layer thickness $H$ is much smaller than its streamwise length $L$. The small aspect ratio $H/L$ makes transverse gradients dominate longitudinal gradients and is the geometric basis of lubrication theory.

Let $n=1-\varphi$ be the pore fraction and put $K=k\rho g/\mu$. In the long-wave approximation, the pore pressure is hydrostatic, $p=\rho g(h-z)$, so Darcy's law gives the horizontal volume flux per unit widthLocal mass conservation $n{h}_t+q_x=R$ therefore gives the Boussinesq equation for an unconfined aquiferThe river and drainage-divide conditions are

The long-wave approximation makes $u$ independent of $z$ at leading order. Mass conservation and symmetry about $z=0$ then giveFor an incompressible Newtonian fluid,The leading normal-stress balance on either surface isSince ${\sigma }_{xx}-{\sigma }_{zz}=4\mu u_x$, it follows that

For a slice of length $\delta x$, the axial forces are the integrated normal stresses $2h{\sigma }_{xx}$ on its vertical ends, ambient pressure on the varying end height, and the horizontal components of surface tension on its two sloping faces. Expanding their difference to first order in $\delta x$ cancels the uniform $p_a$ terms and the lower-order capillary terms, leavingThe kinematic condition on $z=h(x,t)$ is $h_t+u{h}_x=w$. Substituting $w=-h{u}_x$ gives the second required relation,

Let $z$ measure height above the sponge. Under the long-wave approximation, hydrostatic pressure gives $p_x=\rho g{H}_x$, and the horizontal balance for viscous fluid flow isThe no-slip boundary condition $u(0)=0$ and stress-free boundary condition $u_z(H)=0$ giveIntegrating this lubrication theory profile gives the horizontal volume flux per unit span

Local mass conservation includes the downward loss found in part i:Consequently the required nonlinear partial differential equation isIf the imposed inlet flux is $Q_0{t}^{\alpha }$ and the moving front is $x=x_N(t)$, sufficient boundary conditions areFor a current released onto a dry substrate one also takes the initial condition $H(x,0)=0$ away from the source. The front position is part of this moving-boundary problem.

Let $d(z,t)$ be the local water-film thickness. To first order in the interface amplitudes,The lubrication theory flux down the vertical surface, with a no-slip boundary condition at the ice and a stress-free boundary condition at the water-air interface, isFor the unperturbed film $p_z=0$, so

The linearized Young–Laplace equation gives the capillary-pressure perturbationBecause the prescribed volume flux is uniform, its first-order perturbation must vanish. Linearization of the flux law givesThus, with $\Gamma =\gamma /(3\rho g)$,and henceThe complex amplitude ratio records the phase shift caused by surface tension in the long-wave approximation.

The two wall boundary conditions areDefine the capillary parameter for a falling filmRetain $S=O(1)$ in the long-wave approximation. Thus surface tension is retained in the leading normal stress balance even though geometric slope corrections are small. For $h_x=O(1)$ in the rescaled coordinates, the dimensional surface slope is $\epsilon h_x$.

The three free surface boundary conditions, accurate through $O(\epsilon )$, areThe first is the kinematic boundary condition; the second is the zero tangential traction condition. For the third, the dimensional liquid-side pressure is, to the required order,Division by $\rho g{h}_0\sin \alpha$ gives $p=-3S{h}_{xx}/2+\epsilon w_z$ in dimensionless variables. Subtracting $\bar{p}(h)=(1-h)\cot \alpha$ gives the stated perturbation condition. The additional slope-times-shear contribution to normal stress vanishes at this order because the tangential traction is zero. The omitted geometric and tangential-stress corrections are $O({\epsilon }^2)$ under this ordering.

For $A=2\cot \alpha /3+8\mathrm{Re}/15>0$, maximize the growth rate $\sigma (k)=\epsilon (A{k}^2-S{k}^4)$ over real wavenumbers. Its derivative is $2\epsilon k(A-2S{k}^2)$, soThe second derivative at either nonzero maximizer is $-4\epsilon A<0$. If $A\le 0$, there is no positive growth rate in this model.

To compare growth with transport, restore dimensions. With $\epsilon =h_0/L$ and $S=2\gamma /(3\rho g{L}^2\sin \alpha )$, the maximal dimensional growth rate isThe corresponding dimensional wavenumber is $k^{\ast }/L=\sqrt{3\rho g\sin \alpha A/(4\gamma )}$, independent of the arbitrary reference length $L$. Let $d$ be the physical slope length. A disturbance convected at the leading kinematic wave speed $2U_0$ has residence time $d/(2U_0)$ and accumulates the growth exponentThus $d\ll \ell$ implies $N\ll 1$, and the amplitude multiplier $e^N$ remains close to one while the disturbance passes down the slope. This is the requested convective amplification length criterion. With the exact coefficients used here, one e-fold of convected growth occurs at $d=2\ell /3$; the stated much-less-than criterion is unaffected by this order-one factor. It is a transport-versus-growth estimate within the long-wave approximation, rather than a boundary-value stability theorem for every possible inlet and outlet condition.