Thermohydrologically

Thermohydrologically refers to phenomena governed by the interaction of thermal and hydrological processes in porous media and fractured rock. It encompasses how heat transport and water movement are coupled, including the effects of temperature on groundwater flow, moisture distribution, and phase changes in pore water.

The core mechanisms include heat convection with moving groundwater, conduction through solids, thermal dispersion, and phase changes such as freezing and thawing that alter pore space and hydraulic properties. Temperature gradients can induce density-driven flows, change viscosities, and modify hydraulic conductivity. In permafrost and cryotic soils, thermal effects control thaw fronts and subsurface hydrology; in geothermal and hydrothermal systems, heat supply drives fluid movement and mineral reactions.

Applications include groundwater resource assessment under warming climates, contaminant transport prediction where thermal plumes alter solubility and mobility, geothermal energy development, underground storage and waste disposal considerations, and climate science studies of soil and aquifer systems.

Methods involve field measurements of temperature profiles, borehole logs, and tracer tests employing heat as a tracer; numerical modeling of coupled thermo-hydraulic processes (and further thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling) to simulate heat and water transport in porous media. Challenges include heterogeneity, scale, and data limitations.