A Study of GPR Performance in the Presence of Buried Biomass

GPR performance in the presence of buried biomass (e.g., tree roots) was investigated by using two approaches: experimental measurements and numerical simulations. For the former, two areas known to contain high and low root densities were selected. GPR measurements were performed using the OSU/ESL radar system which employs a wideband, polarimetric, dielectric-loaded horn antenna. In the measurements, the antenna was scanned along the ground surface transverse to a horizontal steel rod buried at different depths. The data were processed to reveal scattering characteristics of empty soil and soil with roots. For the numerical simulations, the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) was employed to model scattering from roots in a homogeneous medium. Slight modifications permitted it to model the GPR data. Comparisons of the DDA code's results against those of well-known codes and various experiments are presented to validate the code. This code was used to simulate root-scattered fields in the frequency domain. These simulations provide insight regarding root scattering.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2003

Author dc:creator

• Niltawach, Nakasit

Contributors dc:contributor

• Johnson, Joel

• Electrical Engineering

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1363867167

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1363867167