ISC7

Measurement of soil temperature with depth using multiple sensor arrays

  • Zizzi, Marialetizia (Technical University of Bari)
  • Elia, Gaetano (Technical University of Bari)
  • Bottiglieri, Osvaldo (Technical University of Bari)
  • Cotecchia, Federica (Technical University of Bari)

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Accurate measurement of soil temperature is essential for the diagnosis of various environmental processes and their impact on ecosystems. Indeed, continuous monitoring of temperature profiles with depth provides valuable understanding of the soil thermal response, which could support studies related to climate change, hydrology, agriculture, and geothermal energy [1]. The paper describes the installation of temperature strings CS225 [2] to measure the temperature field of an undisturbed soil deposit at different depths in real time. The strings consisted of multiple temperature probes connected in series, placed at specific depths within the soil profile. The CS225 probes require little maintenance and no initial calibration, guaranteeing a high accuracy and resolution of the temperature measurements, within an operational range from -55°C to 85°C. The installation process involved careful planning and precise positioning within the deposit. To ensure accurate measurements, several factors, including the soil heterogeneity, the presence of vegetation at ground surface and the depth of the water table, have been considered during the installation. Particular care has been taken to minimise the disturbance to the surrounding environment. The installation process involved the drilling of two boreholes to the depth of 15m. The temperature strings have been, then, carefully inserted into the boreholes, ensuring proper vertical alignment and contact with the soil. Once installed, the two thermocouple chains have been connected to a datalogger for continuous real time temperature recording. The initial field measurements have shown a good performance of the probes, which have been able to detect the expected change of the soil temperature with the periodic change of surface environment temperature and the gradual decrease of the amplitude of soil temperature oscillation with the increase of depth. Further research will include the detailed analysis of the influence of ambient wind speed, solar radiation and soil moisture on the heat transfer from ground surface to the deeper soil layers. REFERENCES [1] Laloui, L., & Di Donna, A. (Eds.). (2013). Energy geostructures: innovation in underground engineering. John Wiley & Sons. [2] Campbell Scientific Inc., CS225 Temperature String (Product Manual).