Application of the Brewster angle to quantify the dielectric properties of ground ice formations

Previous studies of ground ice using moveout type ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys indicate that the dielectric permittivity can constrain the type of ground ice present in the subsurface. Due to the high-loss nature of the active layer over permafrost targets, however, the signal strength of GPR signals is often insufficient to resolve the basal boundary required for determining the dielectric permittivity of an underlying unit. We apply a non-conventional antenna orientation and post-processing method to determine the dielectric permittivity of the unit underlying the lowest resolvable boundary. We conduct moveout surveys using a 450 MHz GPR with collinear parallel oriented antennas on two adjacent ground ice formations in the region of Thomas Lee Inlet, Devon Island, Nunavut. We exploit the Brewster angle to calculate the approximate dielectric permittivity of ground ice formations below the active layer. The results agree within 1 dielectric unit with on-ice permittivity measurements made during a complementary study of the site.     

探地雷达应用概述

以ASTM标准规范为基础对探地雷达（Ground Penetrating Radar 以下简称GPR）的地下探测方法的应用做了比较系统的概述,主要内容包括：部分专业术语的解释;测试过程中雷达探测深度及其中心频率、垂直分辨率、水平分辨率等的关系,测试过程中常见的天线移动方式,以及雷达波速的预测几种方法,数据显示方式;雷达数据解释和数据处理的一般过程及方法.目前我国尚没有关于GPR的国家规范或行业标准,文章对GPR的使用及规范的编制具有一定的参考意义.     

Modelling of GPR waves for lossy media obeying a complex power law of frequency for dielectric permittivity

The attenuation of ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) energy in the subsurface decreases and shifts the amplitude spectrum of the radar pulse to lower frequencies (absorption) with increasing traveltime and causes also a distortion of wavelet phase (dispersion). The attenuation is often expressed by the quality factor Q. For GPR studies, Q can be estimated from the ratio of the real part to the imaginary part of the dielectric permittivity. We consider a complex power function of frequency for the dielectric permittivity, and show that this dielectric response corresponds to a frequency‐independent‐Q or simply a constant‐Q model. The phase velocity (dispersion relationship) and the absorption coefficient of electromagnetic waves also obey a frequency power law. This approach is easy to use in the frequency domain and the wave propagation can be described by two parameters only, for example Q and the phase velocity at an arbitrary reference frequency. This simplicity makes it practical for any inversion technique. Furthermore, by using the Hilbert transform relating the velocity and the absorption coefficient (which obeys a frequency power law), we find the same dispersion relationship for the phase velocity. Both approaches are valid for a constant value of Q over a restricted frequency‐bandwidth, and are applicable in a material that is assumed to have no instantaneous dielectric response. Many GPR profiles acquired in a dry aeolian environment have shown a strong reflectivity inside dunes. Changes in water content are believed to be the origin of this reflectivity. We model the radar reflections from the bottom of a dry aeolian dune using the 1D wavelet modelling method. We discuss the choice of the reference wavelet in this modelling approach. A trial‐and‐error match of modelled and observed data was performed to estimate the optimum set of parameters characterizing the materials composing the site. Additionally, by combining the complex refractive index method (CRIM) and/or Topp equations for the bulk permittivity (dielectric constant) of moist sandy soils with a frequency power law for the dielectric response, we introduce them into the expression for the reflection coefficient. Using this method, we can estimate the water content and explain its effect on the reflection coefficient and on wavelet modelling.     

Determination of electromagnetic wave velocity in horizontally layered sedimentary target: A ground-penetrating radar study from Silurian limestones,Estonia

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a non-destructive geophysical technique to obtain information about shallow subsurface by transmitting electromagnetic waves into the ground and registering signals reflected from objects or layers with different dielectric properties. The present GPR study was conducted in Võhmuta limestone quarry in Estonia in order to describe the relationship between GRP responses to the variations in petrophysical properties. Sub-horizontally oriented cores for petrophysical measurements were drilled from the side wall of the quarry. The GPR profiles were run at the sloped trench floor and on the top of side wall in order to correlate traceable reflections with physical properties. Based on three techniques: (i) hyperbola fitting, (ii) wide angle reflection and refraction (WARR), and (iii) topographic, a mean electromagnetic wave velocity value of 9.25 cm ns^?1 (corresponding to relative dielectric permittivity of 10.5) was found to describe the sequence and was used for time-to-depth conversion. Examination of radar images against petrophysical properties revealed that major reflections appear in levels where the changes in porosity occur.     

The use of GPR for characterizing underground weathered profiles in the sub-humid tropics

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been used as a tool to access information about ground subsurface features. Such information is very important for different types of studies, varying from those related to archeological research to those studying geological elements of bedrock. More recently, however, GPR has been increasingly applied to environmental studies, especially for soil research. This paper presents the results of an application of GPR for the study of weathered profiles. GPR was used to discover the degree of trustworthiness of the information on the ground subsurface through the interpretation of the results of the radar sections as well as the data collected from boreholes, which reached until 21 m. The results show a relatively high degree of details obtained by GPR, indicating the possibility of speeding up ground subsurface surveys related to geomorphological, geological, and pedological studies.     

Radar wave scattering loss in a densely packed discrete random medium: Numerical modeling of a box-of-boulders experiment in the Mie regime

In rough geologic media such as alluvial gravels, glacial tills, talus or colluvium, the grain sizes may span the range of GPR in situ wavelengths. Here we experimentally and numerically modeled the scattering loss from both rough-surface and subsurface dielectric scatterers. The combination of the selected radar frequency and the dimension of the scatterers placed the scattering within the Mie regime. We compared the GPR signal amplitude and waveform reflected from the metal sheet on the bottom of a large box filled with boulders with the numerically computed response from a discrete random medium (DRM) model. The DRM consists of a collection of densely packed ellipsoids. The size and orientation of the ellipsoids are randomized; the size has a Gaussian distribution similar to the physical experiment. The dielectric permittivity of the ellipsoids is constant and their electric conductivity is negligible. The starting in situ dominant pulse wavelength at 900 MHz was about 17 cm, as was about the average rock dimension. Experimentally, the 900-MHz radar pulse underwent most dispersion within the first in situ wavelength of depth, and then, at 500–700 MHz dominant frequency, the pulses underwent a near inverse range dependency loss rate, as if the media were a pure dielectric. The numerical model agrees well with the experimental data. Both experimental and numerical results support a significant scattering loss in Mie regime. Besides the scattering attenuation loss, velocity dispersion has also been observed from both observation and simulation. However, the scattering attenuation and dispersion cannot be fit by the Kramers–Kronig relation that is commonly found in intrinsic attenuation and worth further theoretical investigations.     

宽带探地雷达系统研究及在工程检测的应用

宽带探地雷达系统以其高分辨率而受到重视。我们系统地分析、模拟和实验测试了宽带天线，在同络分析仪的基础上研究和开发了宽带的探地雷达系统。对不同模型进行探测，结果表明系统具有很高的分辨率。更重要的是该系统可以在与被探测介质不接触的情况下对介质内部进行探测，具有很高的工作效率。在工程质量检测中将具有巨大应用前景。     

Geoelectrical constraints on radar probing of shallow water-saturated zones within karstified carbonates in semi-arid environments

Shallow carbonates are of utmost importance as potential sources of groundwater in karstified semi-arid terrains. Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) is being increasingly used as a prominent mapping tool in such environments. However, its potential in exploring and identifying shallow water-saturated zones (WSZs) in carbonates is constrained by the geoelectrical properties of carbonate soils as a function of moisture content. We report results of a case study that includes laboratory geoelectrical characterization and their comparison to in situ GPR attenuation measurements performed on Cretaceous Edwards Formation rudist mounds in central Texas, which we hypothesize as analogs for water-bearing formations in semi-arid karstified carbonate terrains. Dielectric measurements on field-collected rock samples carried out in the laboratory under controlled conditions of moisture saturation suggest that real and imaginary parts of dielectric constants of rocks with higher porosity and/or permeability have steeper dependence on pore moisture content; they produce better dielectric contrasts but allow shallower penetration. Our analyses suggest that within carbonates, dielectric contrasts improve with decrease in sounding frequency and/or increase in moisture content; and the relationship between dielectric permittivity and moisture content may be represented by 3rd order polynomial equations. GPR surveys using a wide-band 400 MHz antenna reveal subsurface mound morphologies with heights of ～ 1–2 m and basal diameters of ～ 8–10 m resembling outcrop analogs. Each mound appears to be composed of smaller amalgamated lithounits that seem geoelectrically similar. Amplitudes decays of the backscattered radar signal correlate to moisture distribution. Measuring the differences in signal attenuation allows differentiation between saturated and non-saturated zones. Velocity analyses of GPR profiles enable estimation of moisture distribution in the vicinity of the mounds. Optimal delineation and production of high-resolution GPR data up to a depth of ～ 10 m were observed for a sounding frequency of ～ 250 MHz with moisture content of ～ 5% by weight. Below this moisture level, the dielectric contrast is insufficient to uniquely identify water-saturated zones from the surrounding geoelectrical context, and above it, the radar signal is substantially attenuated leading to a total inefficiency of the method.     

金属矿井下环境对GPR测试的干扰因素分析

探地雷达技术（GPR）在地下金属矿中应用日益广泛,然而复杂的井下环境时常影响雷达的测试效果.鉴别、分析各种干扰因素,有利于消除和抑制环境噪音在雷达中产生测试伪信号.本文结合作者在地下金属矿中的测试经验,探讨了GPR在金属矿井下测试过程中遇到的几种常见的干扰因素,分析其在雷达图象中呈现基本特征,并提出相应的处理措施与方法.     

机载探地雷达数值模拟及逆时偏移成像

机载探地雷达可以用于人类无法到达的危险地区、植被严重覆盖的地下目标体探测,然而由于机载探地雷达的特殊性,影响机载探地雷达探测效果的因素包括天线的极化方向、天线的飞行高度以及地表粗糙度等.为了研究这些影响因素与探测效果之间的关系,用三维时间域有限差分模拟电磁波的传播过程,以沙漠地区地下空洞掩体的机载探地雷达探测为实例,分别模拟了不同天线极化方向、天线高度及地表粗糙度情况下的机载探地雷达剖面,分析了各因素对机载探地雷达探测地下空洞目标体的影响.天线极化方向与目标体走向垂直更有利于地下目标体探测;天线距离地表越近,可以获得更高分辨率的雷达剖面;沙漠地表起伏越大,雷达剖面中的散射杂波能量越强,浅部地下目标体信号容易被掩盖.为了消除起伏地形造成的散射杂波,提出用逆时偏移成像技术对共炮集机载探地雷达数据进行偏移成像,成像结果优于基尔霍夫偏移成像结果.     

Spectral bandwidth enhancement of GPR profiling data using multiple-frequency compositing

The amplitude spectrum of ground penetrating radar (GPR) reflection data acquired with a particular antenna set is normally concentrated over a spectral bandwidth of a single octave, limiting the resolving power of the GPR wavelet. Where variously-sized GPR targets are located at numerous depths in the ground, it is often necessary to acquire several profiles of GPR data using antennas of different nominal frequencies. The most complete understanding of the subsurface is obtained when those frequency-limited radargrams are jointly interpreted, since each frequency yields a particular response to subsurface reflectivity. The application of deconvolution to GPR data could improve image quality, but is often hindered by limited spectral bandwidth.We present multiple-frequency compositing as a means of combining data from several frequency-limited datasets and improving the spectral bandwidth of the GPR profile. A multiple-frequency composite is built by summing together a number of spatially-coincident radargrams, each acquired with antennae of different centre frequency. The goal of the compositing process is therefore to produce a composite radargram with balanced contributions from frequency-limited radargrams and obtain a composite wavelet that has properties approximating a delta function (i.e. short in duration and having a broad, uniform spectral bandwidth).A synthetic investigation of the compositing process was performed using Berlage wavelets as proxies for GPR source pulses. This investigation suggests that a balanced, broad bandwidth, effective source pulse is obtained by a compositing process that equalises the spectral maxima of frequency-limited wavelets prior to summation into the composite. The compositing of real GPR data was examined using a set of 225, 450 and 900 MHz GPR common offset profiles acquired at a site on the Waterloo Moraine in Ontario, Canada. The most successful compositing strategy involved derivation of scaling factors from a time-variant least squares analysis of the amplitude spectra of each frequency-limited dataset. Contributions to the composite from each nominal acquisition frequency are clear, and the trace averaged amplitude spectrum of the corresponding composite is broadened uniformly over a bandwidth approaching two-octaves. Improvements to wavelet resolution are clear when a composite radargram is treated with a spiking deconvolution algorithm. Such improvement suggests that multiple-frequency compositing is a useful imaging tool, and a promising foundation for improving deconvolution of GPR data.     

Recursive impedance inversion of ground-penetrating radar data in stochastic media

The travel time and amplitude of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) waves are closely related to medium parameters such as water content, porosity, and dielectric permittivity. However, conventional estimation methods, which are mostly based on wave velocity, are not suitable for real complex media because of limited resolution. Impedance inversion uses the reflection coefficient of radar waves to directly calculate GPR impedance and other parameters of subsurface media. We construct a 3D multiscale stochastic medium model and use the mixed Gaussian and exponential autocorrelation function to describe the distribution of parameters in real subsurface media. We introduce an elliptical Gaussian function to describe local random anomalies. The tapering function is also introduced to reduce calculation errors caused by the numerical simulation of discrete grids. We derive the impedance inversion workflow and test the calculation precision in complex media. Finally, we use impedance inversion to process GPR field data in a polluted site in Mongolia. The inversion results were constrained using borehole data and validated by resistivity data.     

Relative influence upon microwave emissivity of fine-scale stratigraphy,internal scattering,and dielectric properties

Summary The microwave emissivity of relatively low-loss media such as snow, ice, frozen ground, and lunar soil is strongly influenced by fine-scale layering and by internal scattering. Radiometric data, however, are commonly interpreted using a model of emission from a homogeneous, dielectric halfspace whose emissivity derives exclusively from dielectric properties. Conclusions based upon these simple interpretations can be erroneous. Examples are presented showing that the emission from fresh or hardpacked snow over either frozen or moist soil is governed dominantly by the size distribution of ice grains in the snowpack. Similarly, the thickness of seasonally frozen soil and the concentration of rock clasts in lunar soil noticeably affect, respectively, the emissivities of northern latitude soils in winter and of the lunar regolith. Petrophysical data accumulated in support of the geophysical interpretation of microwave data must include measurements of not only dielectric properties, but also of geometric factors such as finescale layering and size distributions of grains, inclusions, and voids.     

In quest of lunar regolith breccias of exotic provenance: a uniquely anorthositic sample from the Fra Mauro (Apollo 14) highlands

Polymict samples can be used to establish mass-balance constraints regarding the bulk composition of the lunar crust, and to gauge the degree of regional heterogeneity in the composition of the lunar crust. The most ideally polymict type of sample is finely-mixed regolith (lunar soil), or its lithified equivalent, regolith breccia. Fortunately, lunar regolith breccias can occasionally be found at great distances from their points of origin — most of the known lunar meteorites are regolith breccias. We are searching for examples of exotic regolith samples among the Apollo regolith breccia collection. Most of the 21 Apollo regolith breccias analyzed for this study strongly resemble the local soils over which they were collected. Nine regolith breccias from Apollo 16 are surprisingly mature compared to previously-analyzed Apollo 16 regolith breccias, and six of the seven from Apollo 16 Station 5 have lower, more local-soil-like,mg ratios than previously analyzed regolith breccias from this station. Several of the Apollo 14 regolith breccias investigated show significantly highermg, and lower Al, than the local soils.The most interesting sample we have investigated is 14076,1, from a lithology that constitutes roughly half of a 2.0-g pebble. The presence of spherules indicates a regolith derivation for 14076,1, yet its highly aluminous (30 wt.% Al₂O₃) composition is clearly exotic to the 1.6-km traverse surface over which the Apollo 14 samples were collected. This sample resembles soils from the Descartes (Apollo 16) highlands far more than it does any other polymict sample from the Fra Mauro (Apollo 14) region. The I/_sFeO maturity index is extremely low, but this may be a result of thermal annealing. A variety of siderophile elements occur in 14076,1 at typical regolith concentrations. The chemistry of the second most aluminous regolith sample from Apollo 14, 14315, can only be roughly approximated as a mixture of local regolith and 14076,1-like material. However, the low a priori statistical probability for long-distance horizontal transport by impact cratering, along with the relatively high contents of incompatible elements in 14076,1 (despite its high Al content), suggest that this regolith breccia probably originated within a few hundred kilometers of the Appollo 14 site. If so, its compositional resemblance to ferroan anorthosite tends to suggest that the regional crust is, or originally was, far richer in ferroan anorthosite than implied by the meager statistics for pristine rocks from this site. Thus, 14076,1 tends to strengthen the hypothesis that ferroan anorthosite originated as the flotation crust of a global magmasphere.     

Evaluating some factors that affect feasility of using ground penetrating radar for landmine detection

Ground penetrating radar （GPR） is one of the promising technologies that can be used to detect landmines. Many factors may affect the ability of GPR to detect landmines. Among those factors are： 1） the type of landmine material （metallic or plastic）, 2） conditions of the host soil （soil texture and soil moisture）, and 3） the radar frequency utilized. The impact of these factors on the ability of GPR to detect landmines is investigated by studying their effect on the dielectric permittivity contrast between the landmine and the host soil, as well as on the attenuation of the radar waves. The impact of each factor was theoretically reviewed and modeled using the Matlab and Mathcad software packages. Results of the computer modeling were correlated with GPR data acquired for metallic and plastic landmine types. It was found that the ability of GPR to detect landmines depends to a great extent on the landmine type, water content of the host soil, utilized radar frequency, and soil texture. The landmines are much easier to detect than plastic landmines for any soil conditions and any radar frequency. Increasing the soil＇s moisture content, regardless of soil texture, eases the detection of the plastic landmine and worsens the detection of the metallic mines. Increasing the percentage of clay in the soil causes the same effect as the moisture content. However, higher radar frequency delivers better results for landmine detection as long as the percentage of clay and the moisture content in the soil remains low. The results of this study are expected to help in selecting optimum radar antennae and data acquisition parameters depending on the landmine type and environmental conditions.     

Architecture of the deep critical zone in the Río Icacos watershed (Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory,Puerto Rico) inferred from drilling and ground penetrating radar (GPR)

In the critical zone, surficial bedrock interactions result in the formation of a mantle of chemically‐ and physically‐altered material defined here as regolith. In the watershed of the Río Icacos, an upland river draining the Luquillo Mountains in tropical Puerto Rico, we explored the influence of lithology (quartz diorite versus hornfels‐facies volcaniclastic rock) on weathering. Regolith profiles were studied by drilling boreholes and imaging the subsurface using ground penetrating radar (GPR). Overall, the regolith structure is not laterally continuous but rather is punctuated by zones of deep fractures that host in situ weathering, corestones, and colluvial material. GPR images of these vertical zones show reflectors at 15–20 m depth. Thus, the architecture of the critical zone in the upper Luquillo Mountains is highly dependent on lithology and its influence on fracture development. At the highest elevations where hornfels overlies quartz diorite, positive feedbacks occur when the water table drops so that oxidative weathering of biotite in the more felsic rock creates microfractures and allows deeper infiltration of meteoric waters. Such exposure results in some of the fastest weathering rocks in the world and may contribute to formation of the knickpoint in the Río Icacos watershed. This work represents the first study combining GPR and drilling to look at the structure of the deep critical zone and demonstrates: (1) the importance of combining direct methods (such as drilling) with indirect methods (such as GPR) to understand the architecture of the critical zone in tropical systems; (2) the interplay of the surficial stress regime, lithology and climate in dictating the architecture of weathering. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An application of the synthetic emitter-array method to improve GPR signals

Methods that employ arrays of emitters are potentially useful in improving weak or ambiguous signals in ground penetrating radar (GPR) prospecting. As in the seismic case, the electromagnetic responses from the subsurface can be obtained by employing true composite sources or synthesized from single emitter responses that are acquired with variable offset, both possibilities leading to similar results. In this article, the synthetic emitter-array method is examined as a way of improving GPR signals. Modeling of transmitted wave-fronts is carried out to analyze how the targets can be illuminated so that the reflected signals are effectively reinforced. The method is applied to different targets. A methodology that simultaneously increases the signal to noise ratio and the lateral coherence of the events is examined in order to facilitate the interpretation of the GPR data. Finally, the synthetic emitter-array method is successfully applied in a case study to determine the width and depth of mud walls at the Palo Blanco archaeological site in Argentina.     

Dielectric properties of the first 100 meters of the Moon

Reviewing 92 measurements of lunar sample dielectric constant versus density at frequencies above 100 kHz, gives the relationK′ = (1.93 ± 0.17)^p by regression analysis, where K′ is the dielectric constant of a soil or solid at a density ofpg/cm³. This formula is the geometric mean between the dielectric constant of vacuum (1) and the zero porosity dielectric constant of lunar material. Similarly, the loss tangent (D) can be described byD = [(0.00053 ± 0.00056) + (0.00025 ± 0.00009)C]p whereD is the loss tangent at densitypg/cm³ withC percent of total FeO + TiO₂ (approximately proportional to ilmenite content). Using the density versus depth relations derived from lunar surface core tubes, and from laboratory studies of lunar soil compression gives a model of the dielectric properties as a function of depth in the lunar regolith. The dielectric constant increases smoothly with depth, as a function of the soil compaction only. The loss tangent, however, is more sensitive to the ilmenite content than it is to density. Neither dielectric constant nor loss tangent varies significantly with the temperature observed in a lunar day.     

Estimation of the 3D correlation structure of an alluvial aquifer from surface-based multi-frequency ground-penetrating radar reflection data

Knowledge about the stochastic nature of heterogeneity in subsurface hydraulic properties is critical for aquifer characterization and the corresponding prediction of groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Whereas the vertical correlation structure of the heterogeneity is often well constrained by borehole information, the lateral correlation structure is generally unknown because the spacing between boreholes is too large to allow for its meaningful inference. There is, however, evidence to suggest that information on the lateral correlation structure may be extracted from the correlation statistics of the subsurface reflectivity structure imaged by surface-based ground-penetrating radar measurements. To date, case studies involving this approach have been limited to 2D profiles acquired at a single antenna centre frequency in areas with limited complementary information. As a result, the practical reliability of this methodology has been difficult to assess. Here, we extend previous work to 3D and consider reflection ground-penetrating radar data acquired using two antenna centre frequencies at the extensively explored and well-constrained Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site. We find that the results obtained using the two ground-penetrating radar frequencies are consistent with each other, as well as with information from a number of other studies at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site. In addition, contrary to previous 2D work, our results indicate that the surface-based reflection ground-penetrating radar data are not only sensitive to the aspect ratio of the underlying heterogeneity, but also, albeit to a lesser extent, to the so-called Hurst number, which is a key parameter characterizing the local variability of the fine-scale structure.     

Variations in the Polar Mesospheric Summer Echoes during the Appearance of Irregularities of Noctilucent Clouds

Variations in the amplitude of the ordinary wave from a received signal on a partial reflection radar at a short-wave range on the Kola Peninsula during the appearance of noctilucent clouds on August 12, 2016, are examined. Noctilucent clouds are registered by the all-sky camera located 100 km southward of the partial reflection radar. They extended over the entire celestial hemisphere observed by the all-sky camera; all of them moved in the southern direction, and the clouds had a tenuous structure and showed gravity waves with spatial periods of 15–100 km. During the presence of noctilucent clouds over the partial reflection radar, polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSEs) were recorded at heights of 83–86 km. It was found that the presence of only noctilucent clouds in diagram of the antenna pattern of partial frequency radar is not sufficient for the appearance of PMSEs; noctilucent clouds must also have irregularities of several kilometers. The PMSE heights decreased with a velocity of 0.5 and 1.3 m/s. The issue of aerosols that cause the appearance of PMSEs and noctilucent clouds is discussed.