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Vertical groundwater flux estimation from borehole temperature profiles by a numerical model, RFLUX
Author(s) -
Li Shaoheng,
Dong Linyao,
Chen Jianyao,
Li Rui,
Yang Zhigang,
Liang Zuobing
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.13420
Subject(s) - groundwater , borehole , groundwater flow , environmental science , geology , flux (metallurgy) , hydrology (agriculture) , groundwater model , series (stratigraphy) , soil science , aquifer , geotechnical engineering , materials science , metallurgy , paleontology
We developed a numerical model, RFLUX, which uses the heat tracer method for vertical groundwater flux estimation, and applied it to the Leizhou Peninsula, South China, to provide information to inform local groundwater resource utilization and management. The temperature–depth (TD) profiles of 24 boreholes, along with the observed ground surface temperature (GST) and surface air temperature (SAT) series in recent decades, were collected in this area. Underground TD data demonstrated the capacity to identify groundwater flow patterns, and local GST and SAT data demonstrated a strong correlation with each other over monthly, seasonal, and annual scales. In the RFLUX model, the average GST and SAT series were applied as an upper boundary condition, and a nonlinear initial condition was set using an analytical solution from the literature. The model results of selected TD profiles demonstrated that the annual vertical groundwater flux was about 0.15 m a −1 , which tended to be overestimated if a linear initial condition was used. This model can be easily applied with minor modifications, considering its clear purpose and simplicity.