Ground Penetrating Radar

Ground Penetrating Radar is used as a sub-surface imaging tool in a similar manner to airborne radar. Short pulses of electromagnetic energy are fired into the ground and reflect off the buried features. These reflections are recorded and an image of the sub-surface environment is developed as the radar is moved across the ground. The Applied & Environmental Geophysics group have applied this technique to a wide range of applications including pro-glacial sediment mapping, site characterisation, void location and archaeological studies.

Research centres on the development of processing and modelling techniques for improved interpretations, especially in the complex near-surface environment. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain modelling techniques are used to simulate GPR wave propagation and provide synthetic radar sections for comparison with the observed data.