Skip to main content
Article
Impacts of soil physicochemical properties and temporal-seasonal soil-environmental status on ground-penetrating radar response
Soil Science Society of America Journal
  • Reshmi Sarkar, Texas A and M
  • K. B. Paul, Lincoln University of Missouri
  • Todd R. Higgins, Lincoln University of Missouri
Document Type
Article
Abstract

The impacts of soils' heterogeneity due to temporal (ET)- and seasonal (ES) changes from minute variations in precipitation (as rain, ice, and snow) and air temperatures (P+TA) on the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) responses (RGPR) are not rigorously tested. We aimed to understand how environmental changes (ET and ES) can be accountable to alter RGPR and help relate to real-time (TR) soil environmental status. Soil moisture (volumetric water content, VWC), temperature (TS), and electrical conductivity (EC) in every 30 min were recorded by soil sensors daily in different seasons to match the diurnal and seasonal changes. Readings of GPR alerts from six soil types of various GPR-suitability classes were recorded two to three times daily. Changes in P+TA, which changed physicochemical soil properties (PCSP) temporally and impacted RGPR up to 76%. The RGPR, which was negatively corelated with clay (R = -0.89) and organic matter (OM) (R = -0.91) percentages, remained low in soils when cation exchange capacity (CEC) is also high. The RGPR which were pronounced after rain, during fall, in sandy soils, and in case of neutral to basic pH impacted by narrow-range VWC variations on sandy but broad range on clay soils. Soils of same clay percent and similar OM acted differently if they have differential CEC and pH values. Ninety-six percent of RGPR, which is impacted by electric resistances and bonding nature of water and soils, were explainable if interactions of clay, OM, and VWC at TR are considered. Future insights on influences from freeze-thaw cycles and specific silica-mineral types of soils are required.

DOI
10.2136/sssaj2018.10.0388
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Citation Information
Reshmi Sarkar, K. B. Paul and Todd R. Higgins. "Impacts of soil physicochemical properties and temporal-seasonal soil-environmental status on ground-penetrating radar response" Soil Science Society of America Journal Vol. 83 Iss. 3 (2019) p. 542 - 554 ISSN: 03615995
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/reshmi-sarkar/20/