Nicola Mingotti 
Particle-driven convection occurs when a layer of fluid containing dense particles is located above a layer of clear, particle-free fluid. This can drive a variation on the classical Rayleigh-Taylor instability, where the particles induce the density difference between the layers. Variants of this instability occur in a number of geophysical flows, such as the undersides
Ten years ago, the Paris COP conference heralded an exceptional meeting to tackle climate change, backed by science, and soon embraced by industry. Much has been achieved, particularly in electrification through the explosive growth of renewables and EVs. However, the original optimism now risks stalling in much of the world as the reality of displacing
Large-scale storage technologies are crucial to balance consumption and intermittent production of renewable energy. At times of excess production, some renewable energy might be converted into compressed air or hydrogen, which is then stored in underground salt caverns. The energy is recovered later, when renewable production becomes insufficient. Herminio Tasinafo Honorio, from Delft University of
Wave breaking occurs at the ocean surface at moderate to high wind speeds, with significant impacts on the transfer of momentum, energy and mass between the ocean and the atmosphere. When waves break, the water surface overturns: this generates bubbles and sea spray and largely enhances the gas exchange. Stéphane Popinet, from the Institut d’Alembert
Chemical gardens are self‑assembled structures of semi‑permeable precipitates. They attract significant interest due to their relevance to sub‑oceanic hydrothermal vents and the origin of life. A group of researchers including PhD student Mingchuan Zheng and professor Alex Routh have run new experiments to investigate the growth behaviour of chemical garden walls in a horizontal Hele‑Shaw
Buildings require ventilation to supply fresh, clean air and so ensure that contaminants and heat do not accumulate. Ventilation strategies such as displacement ventilation may be used in different seasons or climates to minimise the building’s energy requirement. A new paper by Dan Toy and professor Andy Woods explores the effect of a rapid change
The accurate modelling of geophysical flows often requires information which is difficult to measure and therefore poorly quantified. For example, it is difficult to estimate the viscosity of lava during a volcanic eruption, or some of the properties of the ice flowing within a glacier. However, when the flow is bounded by a free surface,
Just before the beginning of term, professor Weiwei Zhu from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences visited us and presented his recent work on Fracture Network connectivity in geological formations. Fractures are ubiquitous in crustal rocks due to the harsh environment of the deep subsurface and the inherent brittleness
Carbon dioxide-induced corrosion of industrial equipment is very common, costly and particularly poses new challenges for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) systems. The role of impurities, such as SOx and NOx, which are also present in the stream, can also be important and has been discussed recently (cf. Corrosion Science, vol. 236, August 2024). A
Carbon storage in deep saline aquifers has become an important part of plans to decarbonise the energy system. Typically, aquifers are composed of a porous, permeable rock containing formation water. As CO2 is injected into an aquifer, some of it migrates towards topographic highs within the aquifer, while some is retained in the pore spaces