Russell Lawley

Initial geological considerations before installing ground source heat pump systems

Abstract The performance of an open- or closed-loop ground source heat pump system depends on local geological conditions. It is important that these are determined as accurately as possible when designing a system, to maximize efficiency and minimize installation costs. Factors that need to be considered are surface temperature, subsurface temperatures down to 100–200 m, thermal conductivities and diffusivities of the soil and rock layers, groundwater levels and flows, and aquifer properties. In addition, rock strength is a critical factor in determining the excavation or drilling method required at a site and the associated costs. The key to determining all of these factors is an accurate conceptual site-scale model of the ground conditions (soils, geology, thermogeology, engineering geology and hydrogeology). The British Geological Survey has used the modern digital geological mapping of the UK as a base onto which appropriate attributes can be assigned. As a result it is possible to generate regional maps of surface and subsurface temperatures, rock strength and depth to water. This information can be used by designers, planners and installers of ground source heat pump systems. The use of appropriate geological factors will assist in creating a system that meets the heating or cooling load of the building without unnecessary overengineering.

Technology: Crowd-sourced soil data for Europe

Since its launch by the UK Natural Environment Research Council in June 2012, the free iPhone app mySoil has attracted more than 2.6 million web hits and 12,500 dedicated users (see go.nature.com/ty1ukf). Next month, a new version will extend its coverage to soils in the European Union (EU).

A geospatial framework to support integrated biogeochemical modelling in the United Kingdom

Anthropogenic impacts on the aquatic environment, especially in the context of nutrients, provide a major challenge for water resource management. The heterogeneous nature of policy relevant management units (e.g. catchments), in terms of environmental controls on nutrient source and transport, leads to the need for holistic management. However, current strategies are limited by current understanding and knowledge that is transferable between spatial scales and landscape typologies. This study presents a spatially-explicit framework to support the modelling of nutrients from land to water, encompassing environmental and spatial complexities. The framework recognises nine homogeneous landscape units, distinct in terms of sensitivity of nutrient losses to waterbodies. The functionality of the framework is demonstrated by supporting an exemplar nutrient model, applied within the Environmental Virtual Observatory pilot (EVOp) cloud cyber-infrastructure. We demonstrate scope for the use of the framework as a management decision support tool and for further development of integrated biogeochemical modelling. High resolution geospatial biogeochemical framework for modelling nutrient flux.Nitrogen and phosphorus modeled across many spatial scales in the United Kingdom.Upscales from grid to river catchment, regional and national scale.Knowledge transfer from data-rich research catchments to data-poor areas.Many other biogeochemical models can be fit to the framework.

Digital Soil Mapping at a National Scale: A Knowledge and GIS Based Approach to Improving Parent Material and Property Information

One of the fundamental parameters in the soil formation equation is that relating to the parent material from which the soils have been derived. Such information is typically derived from geological surveys and paper maps. However, an increasing propensity to directly produce digital geological maps and associated data bases means that a far greater range of information can be made available to assist the soil scientist in mapping and predicting soil characteristics. Such geo-information typically can include, detailed lithological parameters, geochemistry of soils and sediments, engineering parameters and remotely sensed information. In this paper we describe on-going work at the British Geological Survey in which we are actively developing a national digital parent material map and property data base at a scale of 1:50 000. The main aim in doing this is to support the development of national soil data sets at a similar scale by those responsible for soil survey in the UK. However, our experience to date suggests that an adoption of similar strategies in regions and countries with sparse, soil orientated, data infrastructures could be of considerable value. For example many countries have, or are receiving, aid in support of the development and licensing of mineral resources (i.e. Madagascar, Afghanistan and Mauritania) which include not only significant improvements in geological mapping and associated GIS infrastructure, but also remote sensing and geochemical survey.

Crowd-sourced soil data for Europe.

Since its launch by the UK Natural Environment Research Council in June 2012, the free iPhone app mySoil has attracted more than 2.6 million web hits and 12,500 dedicated users (see go.nature.com/ty1ukf). Next month, a new version will extend its coverage to soils in the European Union (EU).

A GIS for the planning of electrical earthing

When creating an electrical earth for a transformer with vertically driven earthing rods, problems can arise either because the ground is too hard or because the ground is too resistive to achieve the required earthing resistance. To assist in the planning of earthing installations a geographic information system (GIS) layer has been created. In its simplest form it consists of a colour coded map that indicates the most likely earthing installation: a single vertically driven rod (indicated by dark green); multiple vertically driven rods (indicated by light green); a horizontal trench, where a rod installation is unlikely (indicated by yellow); for difficult ground, a specialist installation (i.e. drilling; indicated by red). However, the GIS can be interrogated to provide site-specific information such as site conditions, likely depth of installation and quantity of earthing materials required. The GIS was created from a spatial model constructed from soil, superficial and bedrock geology that has been attributed with engineering strength and resistivity values. Calculations of expected earthing rod resistance, rod or trench length, and all possible combinations of ground conditions have been compared with the ‘likely’ conditions required for each of the four proposed installation scenarios to generate the GIS layer. The analysis has been applied to the electrical network distribution regions of Western Power Distribution, in the English Midlands, and UK Power Networks, which covers East Anglia, London and the SE of England. Because the spatial model that underlies the GIS has been constructed from national databases the analyses can be extended to other regions of the UK.

Databases: Soil observatory lets researchers dig deep

The UK Soil Observatory (UKSO) launched last month in London. It provides a global web-based platform for the acquisition and dissemination of soil data (www.ukso.org).

Early Holocene geomorphology of the Great Yarmouth area, Norfolk, UK

ABSTRACT A 1:15,000 scale map of the early Holocene geomorphology of the Great Yarmouth area, covering 33 km2 between National Grid Reference (NGR) 651022, 312244 (northwest corner) and NGR 654523, 303498 (southeast corner) is presented. This was interpolated from elevations for early Holocene deposits derived from 467 borehole records and 539 constraining points extracted from British Geological Survey mapping. The depth to the base of the Holocene sequence ranges from −30.46 mOD to +7.61 mOD. Key morphological features identified include: a 5 km wide trough trending west–east throughout the area; isolated peaks of pre-Holocene sediment reaching to −3 mOD within the centre of this trough and; a series of steep topographical lows. As well as providing a means of assessing palaeomorphology, reconstruction of the region’s early Holocene topography can be used to inform research investigating the available sediment prism, palaeocoastline positions and possible responses to future climate change.

Developing a near surface electrical resistivity model of Great Britain

A model of the near surface electrical resistivity of Great Britain is presented. The first geological unit beneath the base of soil layer is attributed with electrical resistivity. Geotechnical data are used to derive modeled resistivity distributions for each of the lithostratigraphic units described in the near surface geological model of Great Britain. Resistivities are calculated using an effective medium methodology and these values are tested against electrical resistivity sounding data and apparent resistivity estimates from the airborne electromagnetic surveys. The central moments of the statistical distributions are coupled to the geological map and the resulting resistivity distribution shows a general increase in resistivity from SE England to NW Scotland. This pattern reflects the age of the bedrock geology of Great Britain. The methodology described in this paper can be applied to other regions where suitable geotechnical information and geological mapping is available.

Crowd-sourced soil data for Europe: Technology

Since its launch by the UK Natural Environment Research Council in June 2012, the free iPhone app mySoil has attracted more than 2.6 million web hits and 12,500 dedicated users (see go.nature.com/ty1ukf). Next month, a new version will extend its coverage to soils in the European Union (EU).