A complete 3D static over the entire southern Sicily coastal region has already been built, both onshore and offshore.
Moreover, a groundwater flow and salinity dynamic model of the deep Gela aquifer has been implemented using
MODFLOW and Python scripts. In this model several parameters were considered, such as the aquifer characteristics (porosity, transmissibility, etc.), the water-heads, the fault/fracture system impact etc. However, the thermal modelling component is still not implemented as available open-source tools could not be integrated in the ongoing work due to their intrinsic limitations of the currently chosen software setup, and also due to a lack of the relevant computational expertise at my end.
This STSM is proposed to support the integration of the existing fluid dynamic model with a thermal component,
which can be achieved through a collaboration with Shubhangi Gupta, c/o GEOMAR Helmholtz-Centre for Ocean
Science in Kiel, which is a leading European institution devoted to marine and geoscientific research. Specifically, Shubhangi Gupta is an expert in the mathematical modelling of geodynamical systems and has developed an advanced multiphysics software framework using open-source DUNE libraries implemented in C++.
This software is modular and highly customizable for tackling complex fluid dynamics and reactive heat and mass
transport processes in the onshore and offshore subsurface environments. This software will offer a robust basis for carrying out the proposed model extension. Within the scope of this STSM, our collaboration will aim to (a) enhance the existing hydrodynamic model with a thermal coupling, and (b) develop high-performance computing workflows which will be ultimately used for carrying out large scale computations of the 3D geological domain of the deep Gela aquifer.
