Comparative assessment of eight models predicting the ground temperature

Abstract

The paper presents eight models from the literature predicting the vertical ground temperature distribution. Depending on the model, as input data are used the ambient air temperature or the surface ground temperature or the constant ground temperature in significant depth. The output of the models is the temperature time series in 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 m depths. These time series are compared to actual data measured by the Meteorological Station of the Aristotle University of the Thessaloniki for the years 2004 and 2005. The eight models are evaluated in terms of temperature prediction accuracy using appropriate statistical indices.