HR: 1340h
AN: H23A-1002 [Abstracts]
TI: Time-lapse crosshole radar profiling of infiltration process in a vadose zone
AU: * Kim, H
EM: hejkim@pknu.ac.kr
AF: Pukyong National University, 599-1, Daeyeon 3-dong, Nam-gu, Busan, 608-737, Korea,
Republic of
AU: Jang, H
EM: jhnree@pknu.ac.kr
AF: Pukyong National University, 599-1, Daeyeon 3-dong, Nam-gu, Busan, 608-737, Korea,
Republic of
AU: Kuroda, S
EM: skuroda@affrc.go.jp
AF: National Institute for Rural Engineering, Kannondai 2-1-6, Tsukuba, 305-8609, Japan
AB:
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is an effective tool for imaging spatial distribution of hydrogeologic parameters.
An artificial groundwater recharge test was conducted in Nagaoka City in Japan, and time-lapse crosshole GPR
data were collected to monitor the infiltration process in a vadose zone. In the experiment, zero-offset profiling
(ZOP) was utilized to rapidly scan the inter-borehole region. The infiltration process is clearly observed as a
variation of EM wave velocities, which can be transformed into dielectric constants and further converted to water
contents. GPR responses in a vadose zone are largely controlled by variations in water saturation. An increase in
traveltimes can be attributed to an increase in water saturation, and a wetting front moves downward with an
average velocity of about 2.7 m/h in the test zone. Interpretation of experimental results was guided by a finite-
difference time-domain (FDTD) method for two-dimensional cylindrical coordinates to simulate radargrams
associated with the advance of a wetting front during the filtration process. To accurately determine the water
content profile, correct velocity analysis requires identification of first-arriving critically refracted waves from the
traveltime profile. The standard ZOP for which all first arrivals are assumed to be direct waves, results in 4.5 - 16
% underestimation of water content in a transition zone.
DE: 1835 Hydrogeophysics
DE: 1875 Vadose zone
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting