Strong coupling of finite element methods for the Stokes-Darcy problem

The aim of this paper is to propose a systematic way to obtain convergent finite element schemes for the Stokes-Darcy flow problem by combining well-known mixed finite elements that are separately convergent for Stokes and Darcy problems. In the approach in which the Darcy problem is set in its natural H(div) formulation and the Stokes problem is expressed in velocity-pressure form, the transmission condition ensuring global mass conservation becomes essential. As opposed to the strategy that handles weakly this transmission condition through a Lagrange multiplier, we impose here this restriction exactly in the global velocity space. Our analysis of the Galerkin discretization of the resulting problem reveals that if the mixed finite element space used in the Darcy domain admits an H(div)-stable discrete lifting of the normal trace, then it can be combined with any stable Stokes mixed finite element of the same order to deliver a stable global method with quasi-optimal convergence rate. Finally, we present a series of numerical tests confirming our theoretical convergence estimates.