Summary
This hydrogeological study addresses methodological limitations in using subsurface temperature profiles to estimate groundwater flow. By analysing repeated temperature-depth measurements from the same borehole across decades, the authors demonstrate that multiple profiles can overcome the uncertainty inherent in transient analyses based on single time-point data and unknown initial conditions. The work highlights the significant untapped resource of historical borehole temperature profiles collected in the late 1970s–1980s for refined groundwater flux assessment.
UK applicability
The methodology may be applicable to UK groundwater research programmes, particularly where historical borehole temperature data exist. The approach could enhance assessment of groundwater resources and thermal dynamics in UK aquifers, though site-specific geological and hydrological conditions would determine practical utility.
Key measures
Vertical groundwater flux estimates; temperature-depth profiles at multiple temporal points; comparison of analytical and numerical modelling approaches
Outcomes reported
The study demonstrated that boreholes with temperature-depth profiles recorded at multiple time points can be analysed to reduce uncertainty in groundwater flux estimates and to validate profile-fitting approaches. The analysis of borehole data from the Veluwe area (1978 and 2016) illustrated that assuming linear initial temperature profiles can produce significant errors in flux estimation.
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