Ground Penetrating Radar for Environmental Applications

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a near-surface geophysical technique that can provide high resolution images of the dielectric properties of the top few tens of meters of the earth. In applications in contaminant hydrology, radar data can be used to detect the presence of liquid organic contaminants, many of which have dielectric properties distinctly different from those of the other solid and fluid components in the subsurface. The resolution (approximately meter-scale) of the radar imaging method is such that it can also be used in the development of hydrogeologic models of the subsurface, required to predict the fate and transport of contaminants. GPR images are interpreted to obtain models of the large-scale architecture of the subsurface and to assist in estimating hydrogeologic properties such as water content, porosity, and permeability. Its noninvasive capabilities make GPR an attractive alternative to the traditional methods used for subsurface characterization.