Distinguishing Capillary Fringe Reflection in a GPR Profile for Precise Water Table Depth Estimation in a Boreal Podzolic Soil Field

Abstract

Relative permittivity and soil moisture are highly correlated; therefore, the top boundary of saturated soil gives strong reflections in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles. Conventionally in shallow groundwater systems, the first dominant reflection comes from the capillary fringe, followed by the actual water table. The objective of this study was to calibrate and validate a site-specific relationship between GPR-estimated depth to the capillary fringe (DCF) and measured water table depth (WTDm). Common midpoint (CMP) GPR surveys were carried out in order to estimate the average radar velocity, and common offset (CO) surveys were carried out to map the water table variability in the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. Also, GPR sampling volume geometry with radar velocities in different soil layers was considered to support the CMP estimations. The regression model (R2 = 0.9778) between DCF and WTDm, developed for the site in 2017, was validated using data from 2018. A regression analysis between DCF and WTDm for the two growing seasons suggested an average capillary height of 0.741 m (R2 = 0.911, n = 16), which is compatible with the existing literature under similar soil conditions. The described method should be further developed over several growing seasons to encompass wider water table variability.