Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SubTideTools (Quantifying subsurface hydro-geomechanical properties using the groundwater response to Earth and atmospheric tides)
Reporting period: 2019-05-01 to 2021-04-30
Groundwater is a vital resource that is rapidly depleted worldwide with dire consequences for ecosystems and life. To enable more sustainable Earth resource management, accurate and rapid quantification of groundwater system properties is critical. The objectives of the SubTideTools project are to develop, test and automate a novel methodology for quantifying hydro-geomechanical subsurface properties using the groundwater response to natural forces, i.e. Earth tides and atmospheric pressure changes. This allows widespread subsurface characterisation using standard groundwater monitoring datasets.
Research:
The main tasks performed during this project were advanced analysis and interpretation of groundwater and atmospheric pressure records from different boreholes around the world. The analysis led to the writing of 3 first author and 6 collaborative journal articles advancing the state of the art as part of this project.
Training:
As part of the training during this fellowship, I had planned to undertake multiple secondments at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ) and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG). I completed a one-week secondment at the Chair for Geothermal Energy and Geofluids (ETHZ) which was cut short due to personal reasons. Please note that further secondments were subsequently planned multiple times but had to be cancelled due the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in travel restrictions from March 2020 onwards. However, this has not affected the project as I have been in contact with experts from all around the world via video link.
In June 2019, I was admitted to the Young Investigator Network (YIN) at KIT. This gave me access to excellent career coaching opportunities. Through this, I completed three separate practical courses about the art of natural presentation (24-25 Sept 2019, 14 July 2020 and 10-11 Dec 2020) and one seminar in leadership excellence foundations (23-25 Oct 2019).
Training included knowledge transfer through the discussion with experts and undertaking workshops. On 6 Sept 2019, I visited the Black Forest Observatory (BFO) which is a remote research station operated by KIT and the Uni Stuttgart where the Earth’s gravity is measured (picture of visit attached). In July 2020, I reached out to Prof. Todd Rasmussen from the University of Georgia (USA) which led to a fruitful collaboration that is ongoing.
In July 2020, I participated in an online training session about the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). This cutting-edge tool allows numerical modelling of coupled hydro-geomechanical problems.
Technical Development:
Through my research activities I invented a new groundwater monitoring sensor named Tidal Groundwater Response Measurement (TiGReM). I built a first version prototype using electronic components based on the Arduino architecture. The first two prototypes were successfully tested in two different boreholes in Karlsruhe (see attached pictures). On 30 Sept 2020, a patent application was lodged with the German patent office on behalf of KIT naming myself and my supervisor (Prof. Philipp Blum) as the inventors. Currently, an improved prototype is being developed and advanced testing and commercialisation will continue beyond this project.
Currently, I am working on the development of a new Python package named HydroGeoSines (HGS), where ‘Sines’ stands for “Signal In the Noise Exploration Software”. HGS can be used to automate subsurface hydro-geomechanical property quantification and includes my Python package PyGTide for the required theoretical Earth tide calculations. The development is a collaboration with Dr. Daniel Schweizer (KIT), Chris Turnadge (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Adelaide, Australia), Prof. Todd Rasmussen (University of Georgia, USA) and Prof. Blum (KIT). Expected completion of the first version of this software is May-June 2021.
Mentoring:
During this project, I mentored 1 PhD candidate to completion at the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia) as an external supervisor. Further, I have been supervising 2 Bachelor and 4 Master thesis projects related to this topic.
Outreach:
Outreach activities during this project consisted of conference organisation (sessions at the European Geosciences Union 2019-2021), conference presentations and colloquia at research institutions: University of Freiburg (23 May 2019), University of Bayreuth (21 Nov 2019), Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG; 19 Oct 2020), Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR; 17 March 2021) Germany, University of Halle (scheduled for 26 Apr 2021). Outreach also included an interview with the KIT Campusreport (11 Jun 2019), as well as a prestigious Editor’s VoX article by EoS, the American Geophysical Union’s source for news and perspectives about Earth and space science (12 Jul 2019).
The main tasks performed during this project were advanced analysis and interpretation of groundwater and atmospheric pressure records from different boreholes around the world. The analysis led to the writing of 3 first author and 6 collaborative journal articles advancing the state of the art as part of this project.
Training:
As part of the training during this fellowship, I had planned to undertake multiple secondments at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ) and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG). I completed a one-week secondment at the Chair for Geothermal Energy and Geofluids (ETHZ) which was cut short due to personal reasons. Please note that further secondments were subsequently planned multiple times but had to be cancelled due the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in travel restrictions from March 2020 onwards. However, this has not affected the project as I have been in contact with experts from all around the world via video link.
In June 2019, I was admitted to the Young Investigator Network (YIN) at KIT. This gave me access to excellent career coaching opportunities. Through this, I completed three separate practical courses about the art of natural presentation (24-25 Sept 2019, 14 July 2020 and 10-11 Dec 2020) and one seminar in leadership excellence foundations (23-25 Oct 2019).
Training included knowledge transfer through the discussion with experts and undertaking workshops. On 6 Sept 2019, I visited the Black Forest Observatory (BFO) which is a remote research station operated by KIT and the Uni Stuttgart where the Earth’s gravity is measured (picture of visit attached). In July 2020, I reached out to Prof. Todd Rasmussen from the University of Georgia (USA) which led to a fruitful collaboration that is ongoing.
In July 2020, I participated in an online training session about the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). This cutting-edge tool allows numerical modelling of coupled hydro-geomechanical problems.
Technical Development:
Through my research activities I invented a new groundwater monitoring sensor named Tidal Groundwater Response Measurement (TiGReM). I built a first version prototype using electronic components based on the Arduino architecture. The first two prototypes were successfully tested in two different boreholes in Karlsruhe (see attached pictures). On 30 Sept 2020, a patent application was lodged with the German patent office on behalf of KIT naming myself and my supervisor (Prof. Philipp Blum) as the inventors. Currently, an improved prototype is being developed and advanced testing and commercialisation will continue beyond this project.
Currently, I am working on the development of a new Python package named HydroGeoSines (HGS), where ‘Sines’ stands for “Signal In the Noise Exploration Software”. HGS can be used to automate subsurface hydro-geomechanical property quantification and includes my Python package PyGTide for the required theoretical Earth tide calculations. The development is a collaboration with Dr. Daniel Schweizer (KIT), Chris Turnadge (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Adelaide, Australia), Prof. Todd Rasmussen (University of Georgia, USA) and Prof. Blum (KIT). Expected completion of the first version of this software is May-June 2021.
Mentoring:
During this project, I mentored 1 PhD candidate to completion at the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia) as an external supervisor. Further, I have been supervising 2 Bachelor and 4 Master thesis projects related to this topic.
Outreach:
Outreach activities during this project consisted of conference organisation (sessions at the European Geosciences Union 2019-2021), conference presentations and colloquia at research institutions: University of Freiburg (23 May 2019), University of Bayreuth (21 Nov 2019), Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG; 19 Oct 2020), Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR; 17 March 2021) Germany, University of Halle (scheduled for 26 Apr 2021). Outreach also included an interview with the KIT Campusreport (11 Jun 2019), as well as a prestigious Editor’s VoX article by EoS, the American Geophysical Union’s source for news and perspectives about Earth and space science (12 Jul 2019).
A deep analysis of the current state of practice in groundwater monitoring revealed many shortcomings that require addressing. This analysis also provides recommendations on how to improve monitoring practice to enable the full benefits of tidal analysis.
A quantitative comparison of time-domain and frequency-domain based groundwater property estimates revealed that frequency domain-based approaches are more accurate than time domain-based methods.
Tidal analysis was applied to groundwater monitoring records from a field site in Dodowa (Ghana, Africa). We demonstrated that this provided a low-cost screening tool to rapidly assess groundwater confined using standard groundwater monitoring datasets.
I developed a new, generalised method to objectively quantify BE by completely disentangling the groundwater response to Earth and atmospheric tides. This also allows estimation of the subsurface permeability as well as specific storage.
Two common signal processing methods used to extract tidal signals were systematically tested and compared. This resulted in new criteria to determine the conditions under which groundwater datasets are suitable for analysis.
Development of a novel method to quantify the full set of hydro-geomechanical properties using the groundwater response to Earth and atmospheric tides. Estimated parameters include state of groundwater confinement, permeability, porosity and specific storage, formation compressibility/bulk modulus, shear/Young moduli, Skempton/Biot-Willis coefficients and (un)drained Poisson ratios. This work is currently in pre-print stage.
I have teamed up with international colleagues to advocate for the development of universal groundwater monitoring guidelines. This work provides the research foundation upon which groundwater monitoring and management can be improved.
Development of the first comprehensive software package (HydroGeoSines) that allows simplified and automated estimation of subsurface hydro-geomechanical properties from groundwater datasets. This software will unlock advanced data analysis methods for groundwater practitioners around the world.
The research has led to the invention, development and testing of a new type of sensor designed specifically for high precision tidal groundwater response measurement (TiGReM).
A quantitative comparison of time-domain and frequency-domain based groundwater property estimates revealed that frequency domain-based approaches are more accurate than time domain-based methods.
Tidal analysis was applied to groundwater monitoring records from a field site in Dodowa (Ghana, Africa). We demonstrated that this provided a low-cost screening tool to rapidly assess groundwater confined using standard groundwater monitoring datasets.
I developed a new, generalised method to objectively quantify BE by completely disentangling the groundwater response to Earth and atmospheric tides. This also allows estimation of the subsurface permeability as well as specific storage.
Two common signal processing methods used to extract tidal signals were systematically tested and compared. This resulted in new criteria to determine the conditions under which groundwater datasets are suitable for analysis.
Development of a novel method to quantify the full set of hydro-geomechanical properties using the groundwater response to Earth and atmospheric tides. Estimated parameters include state of groundwater confinement, permeability, porosity and specific storage, formation compressibility/bulk modulus, shear/Young moduli, Skempton/Biot-Willis coefficients and (un)drained Poisson ratios. This work is currently in pre-print stage.
I have teamed up with international colleagues to advocate for the development of universal groundwater monitoring guidelines. This work provides the research foundation upon which groundwater monitoring and management can be improved.
Development of the first comprehensive software package (HydroGeoSines) that allows simplified and automated estimation of subsurface hydro-geomechanical properties from groundwater datasets. This software will unlock advanced data analysis methods for groundwater practitioners around the world.
The research has led to the invention, development and testing of a new type of sensor designed specifically for high precision tidal groundwater response measurement (TiGReM).