A thermodynamic nonequilibrium model for preferential infiltration and refreezing of melt in snow

Moure, Adrian; Jones, Nathan D.; Pawlak, Joshua; Meyer, Colin R.; Fu, Xiaojing

doi:10.1002/essoar.10512834.1

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(128 reference statements)

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“…the Darcy scale. Despite missing a precise description of the flow dynamics at the pore level, Darcy models have proved to be a reliable framework to determine the overall long-time behaviour for the transport of species in convective porous media flows [ 2 , 10 , 12 , 33 ]. In the following, we will describe under which assumptions a convective flow in porous media can be modelled as a continuum via the Darcy flow approximation.…”

Section: Modelling Of Convectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convective mixing in porous media: a review of Darcy, pore-scale and Hele-Shaw studies

De Paoli

2023

Eur. Phys. J. E

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Convection-driven porous media flows are common in industrial processes and in nature. The multiscale and multiphase character of these systems and the inherent nonlinear flow dynamics make convection in porous media a complex phenomenon. As a result, a combination of different complementary approaches, namely theory, simulations and experiments, have been deployed to elucidate the intricate physics of convection in porous media. In this work, we review recent findings on mixing in fluid-saturated porous media convection. We focus on the dissolution of a heavy fluid layer into a lighter one, and we consider different flow configurations. We present Darcy, pore-scale and Hele-Shaw investigations inspired by geophysical processes. While the results obtained for Darcy flows match the dissolution behaviour predicted theoretically, Hele-Shaw and pore-scale investigations reveal a different and tangled scenario in which finite-size effects play a key role. Finally, we present recent numerical and experimental developments and we highlight possible future research directions. The findings reviewed in this work will be crucial to make reliable predictions about the long-term behaviour of dissolution and mixing in engineering and natural processes, which are required to tackle societal challenges such as climate change mitigation and energy transition. Graphic abstract

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Section: Modelling Of Convectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convective mixing in porous media: a review of Darcy, pore-scale and Hele-Shaw studies

De Paoli

2023

Eur. Phys. J. E

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“…Datasets for this research are available in Moure et al. (2023), and can be directly accessed at https://data.caltech.edu/records/w6zyq-wqw17.…”

Section: Data Availability Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Thermodynamic Nonequilibrium Model for Preferential Infiltration and Refreezing of Melt in Snow

Moure

Jones

Pawlak

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

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Water stored in snow and ice counts for almost 70% of Earth's freshwater volume (Gleick, 1996). Reliable predictions of the hydrological cycle in cold environments, such as terrestrial snowpack and glaciers, remain challenging but are necessary to improve both water resources and geohazards management under climate variability. A fundamental process that remains poorly understood is how surface-generated melt-water released from its frozen state due to heating of the snow-transports and distributes within the snowpack before entering the groundwater or surface water systems. A robust model for meltwater flow through snow is crucial to formulate reliable predictions in larger-scale models of snow cryohydrology and glaciology.One key challenge of modeling snowmelt hydrology is the ability to robustly capture the infiltration rate and storage location of meltwater within the snowpack. While the generation of melt at snow surface can be relatively uniform in space, meltwater infiltration through the underlying snowpack is known to be highly heterogeneous in nature, forming (a) vertical preferential flow pathways that channelize meltwater (e.g., ice pipes) and (b) lateral flow pathways guided by horizontal low permeability zones (e.g., capillary barriers or ice lenses). Both types of preferential pathways have been observed in the field directly or indirectly (

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A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface

Woods

Hewitt

2023

The Cryosphere

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Abstract. Shortwave radiation penetrating beneath an ice-sheet surface can cause internal melting and the formation of a near-surface porous layer known as the weathering crust, a dynamic hydrological system that provides home to impurities and microbial life. We develop a mathematical model, incorporating thermodynamics and population dynamics, for the evolution of such layers. The model accounts for conservation of mass and energy, for internal and surface-absorbed radiation, and for logistic growth of a microbial species mediated by nutrients that are sourced from the melting ice. It also accounts for potential melt–albedo and microbe–albedo feedbacks, through the dependence of the absorption coefficient on the porosity or microbial concentration. We investigate one-dimensional steadily melting solutions of the model, which give rise to predictions for the weathering crust depth, water content, melt rate, and microbial abundance, depending on a number of parameters. In particular, we examine how these quantities depend on the forcing energy fluxes, finding that the relative amounts of shortwave (surface-penetrating) radiation and other heat fluxes are particularly important in determining the structure of the weathering crust. The results explain why weathering crusts form and disappear under different forcing conditions and suggest a range of possible changes in behaviour in response to climate change.

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A thermodynamic nonequilibrium model for preferential infiltration and refreezing of melt in snow

Cited by 3 publications

References 56 publications

Convective mixing in porous media: a review of Darcy, pore-scale and Hele-Shaw studies

Convective mixing in porous media: a review of Darcy, pore-scale and Hele-Shaw studies

A Thermodynamic Nonequilibrium Model for Preferential Infiltration and Refreezing of Melt in Snow

A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface

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