Alteration of the groundwater thermal regime caused by advection

ABSTRACT

Groundwater temperature at an arbitrary depth and at an arbitrary point is determined not only by heat transported by conduction but also by advection caused either by infiltration of rain, snowmelt or irrigated water, or by seepage from surface water bodies. Therefore, characteristic changes of groundwater temperature are observed in recharging and discharging areas within a groundwater flow system. The changes may be one-, two-, or three-dimensional, depending on individual situations. Since heat is a conservative quantity in the subsurface environment, groundwater temperature can be used as a tracer to reveal the regional structure of a groundwater flow system. A case study showing the importance of groundwater temperature in a regional groundwater survey is presented taking Nagaoka plain, Japan, as an example. The groundwater temperatures were measured in observation wells with diameters of 65 to 250 mm and depths of 20 m or more. Marked seasonal changes in temperature depth profiles showing advective effects in the horizontal direction from the Shinano River, and in the vertical direction from upper and lower aquifers, were observed. The temperature depth profiles were classified into six types. The distribution of these types does not contradict the regional structure of the groundwater flow system revealed by the potential distribution. As groundwater temperature is an easily measureable element in a hydrological survey, the method described in the present paper is appropriate for a field study in an uninstrumented groundwater basin.