Apparent soil thermal diffusivity determinatior method for use in thermal modeling

The purpose of this study is to develop a stable apparent soil thermal diffusivity determination method for long- term scenarios that can be applied to thermal modeling. The apparent soil thermal diffusivities for three different data collections were calculated using two different analytical methods known as the amplitude and logarithmic methods. The three data collections were controlled and in-situ measurements gathered from a dirt-filled bucket and two separate arid, desert regions, respectively. Results for the data collected from the dirt- filled bucket show analytical stability for depths of 2 cm - 16 cm, while results for the first arid, desert region show an apparent possibility for analytical soil layer change detection. Results for the second arid, desert region showed relative analytical stability with some larger variations occurring during seasonal changes. As a whole, the results strongly suggest that a stable apparent soil thermal diffusivity determination method has been developed that can be used to study long-term scenarios and aid in the thermal modeling of regions similar to those in this study.