New tool accurately estimates groundwater flow rates in heterogeneous environments.
Groundwater flow can be tracked by analyzing how heat moves underground. Researchers developed a method to estimate water movement in layered environments using temperature data from streambeds and boreholes. They found that ignoring layers can lead to errors in estimating water flow rates. A user-friendly spreadsheet tool was created to help estimate groundwater flux rates from shallow to deep profiles. The method is best used in stable environments without daily temperature fluctuations.