We describe the space discretization of a three-dimensional baroclinic finite element model, based upon a discontinuous Galerkin method, while the companion paper (Comblen et al. 2010a) describes the discretization in time. We solve the hydrostatic Boussinesq equations governing marine flows on a mesh made up of triangles extruded from the surface toward the seabed to obtain prismatic three-dimensional elements. Diffusion is implemented using the symmetric interior penalty method. The tracer equation is consistent with the continuity equation. A Lax–Friedrichs flux is used to take into account internal wave propagation. By way of illustration, a flow exhibiting internal waves in the lee of an isolated seamount on the sphere is simulated. This enables us to show the advantages of using an unstructured mesh, where the resolution is higher in areas where the flow varies rapidly in space, the mesh being coarser far from the region of interest. The solution exhibits the expected wave structure. Linear and quadratic shape functions are used, and the extension to higher-order discretization is straightforward.

Semi-implicit multistep methods are an efficient tool for solving large-scale ODE systems. This recently emerged technique is based on modified Adams–Bashforth–Moulton (ABM) methods. In this paper, we introduce new semi-explicit and semi-implicit predictor–corrector methods based on the backward differentiation formula and Adams–Bashforth methods. We provide a thorough study of the numerical stability and performance of new methods and compare their stability with semi-explicit and semi-implicit Adams–Bashforth–Moulton methods and their performance with conventional linear multistep methods: Adams–Bashforth, Adams–Moulton, and BDF. The numerical stability of the investigated methods was assessed by plotting stability regions and their performances were assessed by plotting error versus CPU time plots. The mathematical developments leading to the increase in numerical stability and performance are carefully reported. The obtained results show the potential superiority of semi-explicit and semi-implicit methods over conventional linear multistep algorithms.

Age can be evaluated at any time and position to understand transport processes taking place in the aquatic environment, including for reactive tracers. In the framework of the Constituent-oriented Age and Residence time Theory (CART), the age of a constituent or an aggregate of constituents, including the water itself, is usually defined as the time elapsed since leaving the boundary where the age is set or reset to zero. The age is evaluated as the ratio of the age concentration to the concentration, which are the solution of partial differential equations. The boundary conditions for the concentration and age concentration cannot be prescribed independently of each other. Instead, they must be derived from boundary conditions designed beforehand for the age distribution function (the histogram of the ages, the age theory core variable), even when this variable is not calculated explicitly. Consistent boundary conditions are established for insulating, departure and arrival boundaries. Gas exchanges through the water–air interface are also considered. Age fields ensuing from consistent boundary conditions and, occasionally, non-consistent ones are discussed, suggesting that the methodology advocated herein can be utilized by most age calculations, be they used for diagnosing the results of idealised models or realistic ones.

The collapse dynamics and runout of columns of elongated grains in two dimensions are numerically investigated in dry and immersed conditions, by means of an unresolved finite elements/discrete elements model. The elongated grains are modeled as rigid aggregates of disks. The column aspect ratio is systematically varied from 0.125 to 16 in order to span short and tall columns. To analyze the effect of the initial grain orientation, columns with an initial grain orientation that is either random or aligned with a given direction are both considered. Collapse dynamics, both in dry and immersed cases, are found analogous to that previously observed for circular grain columns, particularly with respect to the power law dependency for the runout as a function of the column aspect ratio. The effect of the fluid mainly results in a decrease of the runout distance. Interestingly, the collapse dynamics and runout are not significantly affected by the initial orientation of the grains, except maybe in the extreme case where the grains are all horizontally oriented, which geometrically prevents the collapse. Finally, a scaling based on the front propagation energy is proposed allowing one to unify the runout of short to tall and dry to immersed columns in a single description, regardless of the initial grain orientation.

A numerical stability region is a valuable tool for estimating the practical applicability of numerical methods and comparing them in terms of stability. However, only a little information can be obtained from the stability regions when their shape is highly irregular. Such irregularity is inherent to many recently developed semi-implicit and semi-explicit methods. In this paper, we introduce a new tool for analyzing numerical methods called preference regions. This allows us to compare various methods and choose the appropriate stepsize for their practical implementation, such as stability regions, but imposes stricter conditions on the methods, and therefore is more accurate. We present a thorough stability and preference region analysis for a new class of composition methods recently proposed by F. Casas and A. Escorihuela-Tomàs. We explicitly show how preference regions, plotted for an arbitrary numerical integration method, complement the conventional stability analysis and offer better insights into the practical applicability of the method.