Use of the subsurface thermal regime as a groundwater-flow tracer in the semi-arid western Nile Delta, Egypt

Abstract

Temperature profiles from 25 boreholes were used to understand the spatial and vertical groundwater flow systems in the Western Nile Delta region of Egypt, as a case study of a semi-arid region. The study area is located between the Nile River and Wadi El Natrun. The recharge areas, which are located in the northeastern and the northwestern parts of the study area, have low subsurface temperatures. The discharge areas, which are located in the western (Wadi El Natrun) and southern (Moghra aquifer) parts of the study area, have higher subsurface temperatures. In the deeper zones, the effects of faults and the recharge area in the northeastern direction disappear at 80 m below sea level. For that depth, one main recharge and one main discharge area are recognized. The recharge area is located to the north in the Quaternary aquifer, and the discharge area is located to the south in the Miocene aquifer. Two-dimensional groundwater-flow and heat-transport models reveal that the sealing faults are the major factor disturbing the regional subsurface thermal regime in the study area. Besides the main recharge and discharge areas, the low permeability of the faults creates local discharge areas in its up-throw side and local recharge areas in its down-throw side. The estimated average linear groundwater velocity in the recharge area is 0.9 mm/day to the eastern direction and 14 mm/day to the northwest. The average linear groundwater discharge velocities range from 0.4 to 0.9 mm/day in the southern part.