Low enthalpy ground source heating systems can help to reduce our dependency on fossil 12 fuels, in turn reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy security. In order to de-risk and 13 support the sustainable development, regulation and management of ground source heating systems in 14 urban areas, detailed baseline mapping of groundwater temperatures is required. Groundwater 15 temperatures were measured in 168 monitoring boreholes primarily within a Quaternary sand and gravel 16 aquifer in the city of Cardiff, UK. The data has been used to create the first city-wide map of shallow 17 groundwater temperatures in the UK. This map can be used both to support development of ground 18 source heating but also to act as a detailed baseline from which to measure change. Shallow groundwater 19 temperatures under the city were found to be 2°C warmer than the UK average groundwater temperature 20 and this additional heat is attributed to the Urban Heat Island. The Zone of Seasonal Fluctuation varies 21 from 7.1 and 15.5 mbgl within the shallow Quaternary aquifer, averaging 9.5 mbgl. Deeper groundwater 22 temperature profiles incorporating both the Quaternary and bedrock aquifers, suggest a 'Zone of 23 Anthropogenic Influence' exists down to about 70 mbgl. 24
Background:Implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) can be challenging due to prescriber resistance. Although barriers to implementing new ASPs have been identified, little is known about how prescribers perceive established programs. This information is critical to promoting the sustainability of ASPs.Objective:To identify how prescribers perceive an established pediatric inpatient ASP that primarily utilizes prior authorization.Methods:We conducted a cross-sectional survey administered from February through June 2017 in a large children’s hospital. The survey contained closed- and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis approaches were used to analyze responses.Results:Of 394 prescribers invited, 160 (41%) responded. Prescribers had an overall favorable impression of the ASP, believing that it improves the quality of care (92.4% agree) and takes their judgment seriously (73.8%). The most common criticism of the ASP was that it threatened efficiency (26.0% agreed). In addition, 68.7% of respondents reported occasionally engaging in workarounds. Analysis of 133 free-text responses revealed that prescribers perceived that interacting with the ASP involved too many phone calls, caused communication breakdowns with the dispensing pharmacy, and led to gaps between approval and dispensing of antibiotics. Reasons given for workarounds included not wanting to change therapy that appears to be working, consultant disagreement with ASP recommendations, and the desire to do everything possible for patients.Conclusions:Prescribers had a generally favorable opinion of an established ASP but found aspects to be inefficient. They reported engaging in workarounds occasionally for social and emotional reasons. Established ASPs should elicit feedback from frontline prescribers to optimize program impact.
Ground source heat pumps have the potential to decarbonise heating and cooling in many urban areas. The impact of using shallow groundwater from unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers for heating in urban areas is often modelled, but rarely validated from field measurements. This study presents findings from the 'Cardiff Urban Geo-Observatory' project. This study focuses on an experimental open loop ground source heat pump scheme retrofitted to a school building. Field monitoring for three years between 2015-2018 provided data on the environmental impact of the scheme on aquifer conditions. Average aquifer thermal degradation in the first three years was kept below 2 °C, with a maximum change of 4 °C measured during the heating season. The numerically modelled predictions of Journal Pre-proof J o u r n a l P r e-p r o o f 2 thermal degradation around the production and injection wells are compared with long-term field monitoring data, providing new insights into both aquifer, and user, behaviour. The Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF H4) of the pilot installation was 4.5 (W13/W50) in the monitoring period. An initial thermal resource estimation of the wider aquifer volume suggests that lowering the temperature of the aquifer by 8 °C could generate equivalent to 26 % of the city's 2020 heating demand, but achievable heat extraction would in reality, be less. The study concludes that large parts of the aquifer can sustain shallow open loop ground source heat pump systems, as long as the local ground conditions support the required groundwater abstraction and re-injection rates. Future schemes can be de-risked and better managed by introduction of a registration of all GSHP schemes, with open sharing of investigation, design and performance monitoring data, and by managing thermal interference between systems using spatial planning tools.
Low-enthalpy ground source heating and cooling is recognised as one strategy that can contribute towards reducing reliance on traditional, increasingly insecure, CO 2-intense thermal power generation, as well as helping to address fuel poverty. Development of this technology is applicable in urban areas where high housing density often coincides with the presence of shallow aquifers. In urban areas groundwater temperatures can be elevated due to the subsurface Urban Heat Island effect. Uptake and development of this technology is often limited by initial investment costs, however, baseline temperature monitoring and characterisation of urban aquifers, conducted in partnership with local authorities, can provide a greater degree of certainty around resource and sustainability that can facilitate better planning, regulation and management of subsurface heat. We present a novel high-density, city-scale groundwater temperature observatory and introduce a 3D geological model aimed at addressing the needs of developers, planners, regulators and policy makers. The Cardiff Geo-Observatory measures temperature in a Quaternary aged sand and gravel aquifer in 61 boreholes and at a pilot shallow open-loop ground source heating system. We show that repurposing existing infrastructure can provide a cost effective method of developing monitoring networks, and make recommendations on establishing similar geo-observatories. Anthropogenic factors, including land cover, heat loss from buildings, basements and subsurface infrastructure, can result in the warming of shallow groundwater in urban areas, known as the subsurface Urban Heat Island effect (sUHI) (
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.