THERMAL BEHAVIOR OF SOILS UNDER TIDAL EFFECT: A CASE STUDY IN GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR

This research analyzes the tidal effect in the thermal properties of the ground for a case study in Guayaquil, Ecuador. A thermal response test (TRT) performed near the shore of the Guayas river presented periodic fluctuations in the thermal behavior concurrent with the tide cycle. First, an analytical solution for tide-induced water table fluctuations was used for the determination of the phreatic level for the days of the test. The analytical model accounted for the horizontal distance from the shore, the ground porosity, and permeability. Afterward, a geometric mean model was used to predict the thermal conductivity of soil considering the groundwater level fluctuations. Finally, a correlation between the effective thermal capacity of the ground and the phreatic level in the soil was found.