Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / iii / Paper 332 (Fluid Dynamics of the Solid Earth)

Take $z$ positive downwards from the roof. Write $T_0=T_m-m{C}_0$, $C_B=(T_m-T_B)/m$, $\Delta T=T_0-T_B=m(C_B-C_0)>0$ and $\Delta C=C_B-C_0$. The cooled magma follows the decreasing liquidus from $(C_0,T_0)$ towards $(C_B,T_B)$; the initially superheated liquid starts at $(C_0,T_{\infty })$ above that liquidus. The solid has zero solute concentration. At each temperature in the mushy layer, a horizontal tie line joins the pure solid to the residual liquid on the liquidus. The lever rule gives the liquid fraction from the bulk concentration. Since $T_B>T_E$, this path stops before the eutectic temperature and does not cross the eutectic composition.

The porosity $\varphi$ denotes the liquid fraction, so $1-\varphi$ is the solid fraction. Equal phase mass densities remove volume-change flow; the stable density stratification suppresses convection. In the stagnant mushy-layer model, define bulk specific enthalpy and bulk solute concentration byThe arbitrary reference of specific enthalpy has been omitted. The two conservation laws in $0<z<h(t)$ areHere $\kappa =k_T/(\rho c_p)$ is the thermal diffusivity, with $k_T$ the thermal conductivity. The positive $L{\varphi }_t$ term records increased specific enthalpy on melting; during freezing it supplies latent heat. In the liquid $z>h(t)$, the heat equation and solute diffusion equation arewhere $D$ is the solutal diffusivity. Neglecting solute diffusion inside the mushy layer does not permit dropping $D{C}_{zz}$ in the liquid at this stage.

Use $T(0,t)=T_B$, liquid $T\to T_{\infty }$ and $C\to C_0$ as $z\to \infty$, and initially $h=0$, $T=T_{\infty }$, $C=C_0$ for $z>0$. These are the half-space boundary conditions appropriate before cooling reaches the bottom of the chamber. For a closed chamber of finite depth $H$, replace the far-field conditions by the specified bottom conditions, for example $T_z=C_z=0$ at an insulated impermeable floor; the half-space similarity solution then ceases to apply when the thermal penetration depth approaches $H$.

At $z=h(t)$, let $C_i$ and $T_i=T_m-m{C}_i$ be the common liquid concentration and temperature, and let ${\varphi }_i$ be the limiting porosity on the mush side. Continuity of $T,C$, the Rankine-Hugoniot condition for solute, and the interfacial conservation of energy giveThe first condition has the sign of solute rejection into the liquid. For the sharp-edge stagnant mushy-layer model with nonzero liquid solutal diffusivity, close the free-boundary problem by marginal equilibrium at a mush-liquid boundary:This prevents constitutional supercooling immediately ahead of the mushy layer. A small solid fraction jump at its edge is allowed: imposing ${\varphi }_i=1$ as well as these finite-$D$ conditions would generally overdetermine the reduced model. At the roof, $C=C_B$ follows from the liquidus, and no additional solute-flux boundary condition is needed in the diffusion-free mush.

To obtain the large-concentration similarity solution, putThe positive superheat specifies the physically intended liquid initial state. On a similarity solution, $C_i,{\varphi }_i$ are constant, so every newly incorporated level leaves the same constant $B={\varphi }_i{C}_i$. Write $C_i=C_0+\Delta C\delta$ and $B=\Delta C(\mathcal{C}+a)$. Then throughout the mushy layerFor $a,\theta =O(1)$, $\mathcal{C}\gg 1$, and $\mathcal{S}/\mathcal{C}=O(1)$, the effective heat capacity is constant to relative error $O({\mathcal{C}}^{-1})$. Thus setIntegration of the similarity solution ordinary differential equation gives the leading analytical profilesThe temperature is $T=T_0+\Delta T\theta$. In the mushy layer, the concentration and porosity are the displayed $C,\varphi$; in the liquid,These retain the liquid solutal boundary layer. For completeness, finite-$r$ values of $\delta ,a,\lambda$ are determined analytically, to the same large-$\mathcal{C}$ order, by settingand solvingThe solute jump gives ${\varphi }_i=1-b/(\mathcal{C}+\delta )$ exactly; replacing $\mathcal{C}$ by $\mathcal{C}+\delta$ on the right of the last equation retains that jump's next-order factor, but does not make the linearized thermal profiles exact at finite $\mathcal{C}$. The branch has $0\le \delta <1$, $0<\varphi \le 1$. All these profiles are leading asymptotic expressions, not exact solutions of the nonlinear finite-$\mathcal{C}$ heat equation.

For $r\to 0$ at fixed positive $\lambda$, the complementary error function asymptotic gives $K(\lambda /\sqrt{r})\sim \sqrt{\pi }\lambda /\sqrt{r}$, hence $\delta =O(r)$, $b=O(r)$, $a\to 0$, and ${\varphi }_i\to 1$. The result simplifies toIn particular, $\varphi (0,t)=C_0/C_B=\mathcal{C}/(\mathcal{C}+1)$ and $\varphi (h^{-},t)=1$. There is no finite interfacial latent heat jump in this limit: the latent heat is released continuously throughout the mushy layer. Matching the two temperature gradients givesThe printed final equation is missing the square on $\Omega$ in the exponential. The corrected exponent follows directly from differentiating $\mathrm{erf}(\Omega \eta )$ and is consistent with ${\Omega }^2=1+\mathcal{S}/\mathcal{C}$. The positive root is unique: the mush-side gradient decreases from infinity to zero with $\lambda$, whereas ${\theta }_{\infty }K(\lambda )$ increases. The zero-superheat limit is singular and is not described by a finite positive $\lambda$ in this two-region construction.

Choose the positive $x$ direction along the background flow, so $U>0$; reverse $x$ if necessary. Let $z$ measure depth below the impermeable roof, and set $\Delta \rho ={\rho }_w-{\rho }_c>0$. The deep ambient water has $p_w=p_0(x)+{\rho }_{w}gz$. Continuity of pressure at $z=h$ and hydrostatic pressure inside the buoyant CO2 giveHere $k$ is permeability of a porous medium and $\mu$ is dynamic viscosity. Since $h/H\ll 1$, the ambient return-flow correction to the imposed pressure gradient is higher order. The small aspect ratio supplies the hydrostatic pressure approximation; capillary trapping, dissolution, compressibility and dispersion are omitted in this sharp-interface model.

The depth-integrated Darcy flux is $q=Uh-K_{b}h{h}_x$. The actual stored fluid volume is $\varphi h$ per unit horizontal area, where $\varphi$ is the aquifer porosity. Thus the porous gravity current with background flow satisfieswith $u=U/\varphi$, $a=K_b/\varphi$ and $J=Q/\varphi$. Both $Q$ and the later $V$ denote actual injected volume per unit transverse width. Away from injection, the equation is an advected porous medium equation. At each finite front impose $h=0$ and vanishing outgoing volume flux per unit width. At the injection point $h$ is continuous and $q(0^{+})-q(0^{-})=Q$. For an initially empty aquifer, $\varphi \int hdx=Qt$. The advective speed is $U/\varphi$, not $U$.

For a constant-flux porous gravity current, write characteristic depth $H_c$ and extent $L_c$ temporarily. At early times volume conservation gives $H_c{L}_c\sim Jt$; gravity spreading gives $L_c^2/t\sim a{H}_c$. HenceBackground advection becomes comparable when $L_c\sim ut$, so the transition scales areFor $t\ll t_c$, the leading similarity solution is symmetric:For $0<\eta <{\eta }_N$, its model ordinary differential equation and boundary conditions areChoose the nonnegative finite-front branch, reflect evenly in $x$, and require $F{F}^{\prime }\to 0$ at the front. The factor $1/2$ divides the injection equally between the two halves. Integration of the ordinary differential equation gives $2{\int }_0^{{\eta }_N}Fd\eta =1$; the limiting front slope is $F^{\prime }({\eta }_N^{-})=-2{\eta }_N/3$. This boundary-value problem determines the initially symmetric shape without assuming an unjustified elementary formula. Independent numerical integration gives ${\eta }_N\simeq 1.17619$ in this normalization.

For $t\gg t_c$, upstream storage approaches a finite steady value. With no upstream leakage, $q=0$ for $x<0$, giving $h_x=U/K_b$ wherever $h>0$. Downstream the uniform interior carries $q=Q$, soThe upstream volume flux vanishes even though local Darcy velocity contributions from background flow and buoyancy cancel. The upstream stored volume is $\varphi h_{\mathrm{int}}|x_{-}|/2$, a finite constant. The downstream plateau therefore extends a distance $ut+O({\ell }_c)$, and its front advances at $u$ to leading order.

The diffusive nose of an advected porous gravity current has widthIn a frame translating at $u$, balance the time derivative against the nonlinear gravity diffusion. With $\eta =(x-x_c(t))/\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$ and $x_c(t)=ut+O({\ell }_c)$, the leading transition is $h=h_{\mathrm{int}}F(\eta )$, withIts finite front has $F\sim ({\eta }_N/2)({\eta }_N-\eta )$ as $\eta \uparrow {\eta }_N$. Independent numerical integration of this boundary-value problem gives ${\eta }_N\simeq 1.23849$, so a more accurate leading nose position is $x_N\simeq x_c+1.23849\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$ and its local shape is $F\simeq 0.619247(1.23849-\eta )$. The entire transition has no elementary closed form. A useful explicit, approximate shape is the volume-preserving linear rampThis gives $x_N\simeq x_c+\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$. Its ramp width is $2\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$, and its edge obeys the exact kinematic boundary condition ${\dot{x}}_N=u-a{h}_x(x_N^{-},t)$ to the displayed order. It also has the same area as a sharp step at $x_c$. This is an approximate ramp closure, not an exact solution of the nonlinear nose ordinary differential equation. A constant phase shift $x_c=ut-|x_{-}|/2$ balances the finite upstream storage within this ramp approximation; the full solution's subleading matching may alter constant offsets.

For a rapid injection of total volume $V$, remove the source for $t>0$ and introduce $\xi =x-ut$. The advected constant-volume porous gravity current obeys $h_t=a(h{h}_{\xi }{)}_{\xi }$ and $\int hd\xi =M=V/\varphi$. A similarity solution has depth proportional to $t^{-1/3}$ and radius proportional to $t^{1/3}$. Direct substitution gives the compactly supported Barenblatt solutionIndeed ${\int }_{-R}^R(R^2-{\xi }^2)/(6at)d\xi =2R^3/(9at)=V/\varphi$. Its centre translates at the pore speed $u$, its two edges are $ut\pm R(t)$, and its maximum depth decays as $t^{-1/3}$. The expression is exact for a point release within this reduced model; finite-width initial data approach this similarity solution at late times. If $U=0$, the constant-rate current remains in the symmetric spreading regime and the constant-volume solution has a stationary centre.

Take $z$ upward from the horizontal bed and measure $x$ away from an ice divide. In the shallow-ice approximation, the hydrostatic pressure is $p=p_a+\rho g(h-z)$ and the horizontal balance for a Newtonian fluid isThe upper stress-free boundary condition gives $u_z(h)=0$. The resisting basal traction is $-\mu \beta u_b$, so the fluid-side shear stress satisfies $\mu u_z(0)=\mu \beta u_b$. This is a Navier slip boundary condition with slip length ${\ell }_s=1/\beta$. Integrating twice givesThe first term is the uniform basal sliding contribution, while the quadratic term is internal viscous deformation. Both are positive where the thickness decreases downstream.

The shallow-ice flux with linear basal drag isNo ice accumulation or ice ablation appears. For a symmetric glacier, work on one half, $0\le x\le x_N(t)$, with $q(0,t)=0$, $h(x_N,t)=0$ and no outgoing volume flux. Its conserved half-volume per unit width is $V_g={\int }_0^{x_N}hdx$; the full glacier has volume $2V_g$. This specifies the volume convention rather than silently supplying an unspecified value. For a general finite release on the whole line, the late similarity solution is centred on its conserved centre of mass and uses half its total volume for $V_g$.

The internal-shear and linear basal drag law mobilities are equal at $H_{\ast }=3/\beta$. Suitable vertical, horizontal and temporal scales areWrite $h=H_{\ast }\mathcal{H}$, $x=L_{\ast }X$, $t=T_{\ast }\tau$. ThenThe initial typical thickness is $\mathcal{H}\simeq 10$, the initial extent is of order $L_{\ast }/10$, and its shear-controlled spreading time is of order $T_{\ast }/10^5$. The shallow-ice approximation also requires small aspect ratio: in particular the initial thickness and extent must satisfy approximately $100H_{\ast }/L_{\ast }\ll 1$. The equations model the broad shallow bulk; the very tip can require physics beyond that approximation.

The two limiting equations are porous medium equations of the form ${\mathcal{H}}_{\tau }=({\mathcal{H}}^n{\mathcal{H}}_X{)}_X$, with $n=3$ for a thick shear-dominated glacier and $n=2$ for a thin sliding-dominated glacier. Volume conservation and balance of the time derivative give exponent $\alpha =1/(n+2)$. Set $\mathcal{H}={\tau }^{-\alpha }f(\eta )$, $\eta =X{\tau }^{-\alpha }$. One integration, using zero volume flux at the ice divide, gives $f^n{f}^{\prime }=-\alpha \eta f$, henceThe planar volume-conserving nonlinear-diffusion similarity is thereforeThe Beta function fixes its constants:Consequently the explicit early shear and late sliding limits areTheir centre depths are $A_3{\tau }^{-1/5}$ with $A_3\simeq 0.842252$, and $A_2{\tau }^{-1/4}$ with $A_2=\sqrt{2/\pi }$. Thus the early extent grows as $t^{1/5}$ and the late extent as $t^{1/4}$. These are asymptotic regime profiles; they solve the respective limiting equations, not the full sum of both mobilities. For arbitrary finite-width initial data they are appropriate after the corresponding spatial relaxation, with a virtual time origin depending on that data.

The shear-to-slip transition in a shallow ice current occurs at thickness of order $H_{\ast }$. Using equality at the centre of the early similarity solution givesIf the initial profile is already approximated by that early similarity solution and its centre depth is 10, the virtual age is ${\tau }_0=A_3^5/10^5\simeq 4.2385\times 10^{-6}$, and the elapsed estimate is ${\tau }_{\mathrm{tr}}-{\tau }_0$. Other reasonable definitions of typical thickness change the order-one coefficient; the initial thickness alone does not uniquely determine an exact transition time or an exact initial profile. The robust nondimensional estimate is a transition time of order one in the $T_{\ast }$ scale.

Finally, let a local nose translate steadily at positive speed $v$ and write $s=x_N-x\ge 0$. This is a local traveling nose of a glacier with linear basal drag; the speed of the globally spreading glacier changes slowly with time. The local mass conservation equation integrates to $q=vh$, since both $q$ and $h$ vanish at the front. Therefore

The right side is strictly increasing, giving a unique positive thickness at every $s>0$. With $S=X_N-X$ and $c=d{X}_N/d\tau$, the same relation reads $cS={\mathcal{H}}^3/3+{\mathcal{H}}^2/2$. Its limiting profiles areThe square-root tip reflects basal sliding; the cube-root thicker region reflects internal viscous deformation. Even during the early thick regime, the very nose is thin and has the square-root inner form. At late times that sliding balance governs nearly the whole profile. The dimensionless crossover thickness is $\mathcal{H}=1$ and its distance is $S=5/(6c)$; the early thick cube-root outer profile matches this smaller sliding region. The diverging geometric slope at the idealized tip also marks the local limit of the long-wave shallow-ice approximation.