MODELING THE EARTH TEMPERATURE USING MULTIYEAR MEASUREMENTS

Seventy-four years of ground temperature measurements at various depths performed at the National Observatory of Athens are analysed. Simple accurate models for the prediction of the annual variation of the ground temperature at the earth's surface and at various depths have been developed. Algorithms to predict the daily variation at the ground surface are also proposed. Finally the results of the overall analysis are compared with the corresponding data from other known sets of measurements. The overall analysis is useful for the prediction of the performance of buildings in direct contact with the soil as well as for the prediction of the efficiency of the earth-to-air heat exchangers.