Abstract
This article explores double-diffusive convective fluid motion in an aquifer above a salt dome. Aside from the ambient regional flow regime, the hydraulic conditions in an aquifer connected with a salt formation are determined by differences in salinity. Whereas density-driven flow patterns induced by the effect of salt have been studied before we focus on the additional effect of temperature. For the model setup, we select typical parameter values that are characteristic of not only the lowlands in Germany and Poland. For the computation of flow in a vertical cross-section, we use numerical modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics. The size and strength of eddies in the high salinity region above the aquifer base are strongly influenced by thermal effects. A sensitivity study shows a wide range of convection phenomena, ranging from the absence of convective motions via steady and oscillating circulation to unsteady fluctuating patterns. The flow and transport parameters show the highest sensitivity to the thermal Rayleigh number.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Morphotectonic Map of the European Lowland Area (MELA), a project funded by the European Community.
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Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
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Holzbecher, E., Kohfahl, C., Mazurowski, M. et al. The Sensitivity of Thermohaline Groundwater Circulation to Flow and Transport Parameters: A Numerical Study Based on Double-Diffusive Convection above a Salt Dome. Transp Porous Med 83, 771–791 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-009-9480-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-009-9480-4