Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Furlanetto, Davide
• Camporese, Matteo
• Schenato, Luca
• Costa, Leonardo
• Salandin, Paolo

Titel

Fiber optics passive monitoring of groundwater temperature reveals three-dimensional structures in heterogeneous aquifers

Ist Teil von

• Scientific reports, 2024-04, Vol.14 (1), p.8430-8430

Ort / Verlag

England: Nature Publishing Group

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Free E-Journal (出版社公開部分のみ）

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Alluvial aquifers often exhibit highly conductive embedded formations that can act as preferential pathways for the transport of solutes. In this context, a detailed subsurface characterization becomes crucial for an effective monitoring of groundwater quality and early detection of contaminants. However, small-scale heterogeneities are seldom detected by traditional nondestructive investigations. Heat propagation in porous media can be a relatively inexpensive tracer for groundwater flow, potentially offering valuable information in various applications. In this study, we applied passive Fiber Optics Distributed Temperature Sensing (FO-DTS) to a group of observation wells in a highly heterogeneous phreatic aquifer to uncover structures with different hydraulic conductivity, relying on their response to temperature fluctuations triggered by natural and anthropogenic forcings. A comprehensive data analysis approach, combining statistical methods and physics-based numerical modeling, allowed for a three-dimensional characterization of the subsurface at the experimental site with unprecedentedly high resolution.