We provide an approach to implementing the shallow atmosphere approximation in three dimensional finite element discretisations for dynamical cores. The approach makes use of the fact that the shallow atmosphere approximation metric can be obtained by writing equations on a three-dimensional manifold embedded in $mathbb{R}^4$ with a restriction of the Euclidean metric. We show that finite element discretisations constructed this way are equivalent to the use of a modified three dimensional mesh for the construction of metric terms. We demonstrate our approach via a convergence test for a prototypical elliptic problem.
We extend our analysis on the Oldroyd-B model in Barrett and Boyaval [1] to consider the finite element approximation of the FENE-P system of equations, which models a dilute polymeric fluid, in a bounded domain $D $subset$ R d , d = 2 or 3$, subject to no flow boundary conditions. Our schemes are based on approximating the pressure and the symmetric conforma-tion tensor by either (a) piecewise constants or (b) continuous piecewise linears. In case (a) the velocity field is approximated by continuous piecewise quadratics ($d = 2$) or a reduced version, where the tangential component on each simplicial edge ($d = 2$) or face ($d = 3$) is linear. In case (b) the velocity field is approximated by continuous piecewise quadratics or the mini-element. We show that both of these types of schemes, based on the backward Euler type time discretiza-tion, satisfy a free energy bound, which involves the logarithm of both the conformation tensor and a linear function of its trace, without any constraint on the time step. Furthermore, for our approximation (b) in the presence of an additional dissipative term in the stress equation, the so-called FENE-P model with stress diffusion, we show (subsequence) convergence in the case $d = 2$, as the spatial and temporal discretization parameters tend to zero, towards global-in-time weak solutions of this FENE-P system. Hence, we prove existence of global-in-time weak solutions to the FENE-P model with stress diffusion in two spatial dimensions.
Stokes variational inequalities arise in the formulation of glaciological problems involving contact. Two important examples of such problems are that of the grounding line of a marine ice sheet and the evolution of a subglacial cavity. In general, rigid modes are present in the velocity space, rendering the variational inequality semicoercive. In this work, we consider a mixed formulation of this variational inequality involving a Lagrange multiplier and provide an analysis of its finite element approximation. Error estimates in the presence of rigid modes are obtained by means of a novel technique involving metric projections onto closed convex cones. Numerical results are reported to validate the error estimates and demonstrate the advantages of using a mixed formulation in a glaciological application.
We describe discretisations of the shallow water equations on the sphere using the framework of finite element exterior calculus, which are extensions of the mimetic finite difference framework presented in Ringler, Thuburn, Klemp, and Skamarock (Journal of Computational Physics, 2010). The exterior calculus notation provides a guide to which finite element spaces should be used for which physical variables, and unifies a number of desirable properties. We present two formulations: a ``primal formulation in which the finite element spaces are defined on a single mesh, and a ``primal-dual formulation in which finite element spaces on a dual mesh are also used. Both formulations have velocity and layer depth as prognostic variables, but the exterior calculus framework leads to a conserved diagnostic potential vorticity. In both formulations we show how to construct discretisations that have mass-consistent (constant potential vorticity stays constant), stable and oscillation-free potential vorticity advection.
We describe a compatible finite element discretisation for the shallow water equations on the rotating sphere, concentrating on integrating consistent upwind stabilisation into the framework. Although the prognostic variables are velocity and layer depth, the discretisation has a diagnostic potential vorticity that satisfies a stable upwinded advection equation through a Taylor-Galerkin scheme; this provides a mechanism for dissipating enstrophy at the gridscale whilst retaining optimal order consistency. We also use upwind discontinuous Galerkin schemes for the transport of layer depth. These transport schemes are incorporated into a semi-implicit formulation that is facilitated by a hybridisation method for solving the resulting mixed Helmholtz equation. We illustrate our discretisation with some standard rotating sphere test problems.
We develop a finite element method for the Laplace-Beltrami operator on a surface with boundary and nonhomogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. The method is based on a triangulation of the surface and the boundary conditions are enforced weakly using Nitsches method. We prove optimal order a priori error estimates for piecewise continuous polynomials of order $k geq 1$ in the energy and $L^2$ norms that take the approximation of the surface and the boundary into account.