Nuclear magnetic resonance for near-surface applications — Introduction

Abstract

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements provide direct sensitivity to hydrogen-bearing fluids and their interactions with the pore space. As such NMR is used in near-surface geophysics to determine water content and to estimate hydrogeologic properties such as pore size and hydraulic conductivity. This special section covers the recent advances in NMR for near-surface applications. Most of the papers in this issue were first presented at the 6th International Workshop on Magnetic Resonance of the Subsurface held at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark, on 8–10 June 2015. The 11 papers presented in this special section highlight the recent advances in the NMR method as applied to the characterization of the near surface. The studies primarily focus on surface NMR but also include laboratory and borehole NMR. The subject matter covers novel field applications, new methods for data …