Accurate and efficient layered-medium modeling of wave propagation in inshore seawater for ground penetrating radar detection

Abstract

The electromagnetic (EM) wave-based ground penetrating radar (GPR) finds extensive applications due to its ability to propagate through various media with significant penetration power. In the inshore shallow sea regions, the water has a low salinity and high sediment content with a nonuniform distribution. Leveraging GPR in these regions presents a novel approach to acquiring seafloor topographic knowledge. Although the oceanic environment exhibits continuous stratification, we propose a layered-medium model method (LMMM) for simplification. Through meticulous analysis of EM wave propagation within this model, GPR enables the identification of interfaces between water-suspended sediment transition zones and marine sediments, along with effective discrimination of sediment types. The wave propagation at the frequency of f = 9.0 MHz in the GPR is simulated in the environment of the shallow coast and the distribution of the magnetic field is obtained in different directions. The simulation results are compared with those of the well-known HFSS, thus validating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.