Abstract
Abstract. We documented that the mapping of the fractal dimension of the backscattered Ground Penetrating Radar traces (Fractal Dimension Mapping, FDM) accomplished over heterogeneous agricultural fields gives statistically sound combined information about the spatial distribution of Andosol' dielectric permittivity, volumetric and gravimetric water content, bulk density, and mechanical resistance under seven different management systems. The roughness of the recorded traces was measured in terms of a single number H, the Hurst exponent, which integrates the competitive effects of volumetric water content, pore topology and mechanical resistance in space and time. We showed the suitability to combine the GPR traces fractal analysis with routine geostatistics (kriging) in order to map the spatial variation of soil properties by nondestructive techniques and to quantify precisely the differences under contrasting tillage systems. Three experimental plots with zero tillage and 33, 66 and 100% of crop residues imprinted the highest roughness to GPR wiggle traces (mean HR/S=0.15), significantly different to Andosol under conventional tillage (HR/S=0.47).
Highlights
Numerous studies have documented scale invariance of soil and other porous earth materials over a broad range of scales (Oleschko et al, 2000; Caniego et al, 2005; Tarquis et al., 2006; Meng et al, 2006; Di Domenico et al, 2006; Jawson and Niemann, 2007)
The relative apparent dielectric constant and volumetric water content were measured by TRASE Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) equipment
The mean Wi varied from 50.6% under conventional (CT) to 50.3% under zero tillage (ZT)
Summary
2006; Meng et al, 2006; Di Domenico et al, 2006; Jawson and Niemann, 2007). Self-similarity, a most striking property of isotropic fractals, means that each piece of a shape is geometrically similar to the whole (Mandelbrot, 1983). When a remote object with fractal nearsurface properties is explored with electromagnetic waves, the returned signals become fractal. Microwaves, such as those emitted by the GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) antenna, backscattered from the soil are self-affine functions of time whose fractal dimension is close to the mass fractal dimension of the high-permittivity, moisture-filled pores in the soil. To document in situ the GPR’s ability to extract the fractal dimensions of the dielectric permittivity- and mechanical resistance soil spatial patterns; 2. To explain how this fractal dimension can be extracted from the GPR record; 3. To show that a proposed new way to combine the GPR traces’ fractal analysis with routine geostatistics (kriging) makes possible to map the spatial variation of certain soil properties in fast and non-destructive mode
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