Integrated geophysical methods for enhanced site characterization

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In order to manage groundwater resources and to remediate contaminated sites we need to characterize the distribution of geologic materials and the chemistry of soil and groundwater. However, the subsurface at many natural and contaminated sites is quite variable, and, because it is below the surface, quite difficult to characterize. Drilling boreholes has historically been the main tool for hydrogeologic site characterization. However, borehole data is located at a limited number of subsurface profiles and drilling is intrusive so it must be done with care at contaminated sites. The sparseness of the sampling can lead to an ambiguous or incorrect understanding of the subsurface. On the other hand, geophysical data can provide relatively inexpensive data that samples a much more continuous region of the subsurface. Often, geophysical data can be correlated to geologic formations, water quality and groundwater flow. Consequently, geophysical data has the potential to provide spatially dense information that can be used to dramatically improve our understanding of the subsurface. Indeed, geometrically complex sites cannot be properly characterized without spatially dense information and geophysical data can add information that allows reliable interpretations that are impossible with borehole data alone. The objective of this study is to develop practical methods for using multiple geophysical methods to improve our ability to characterize the subsurface. In particular, we are trying to take new, advanced methods that have been proposed in the research literature and make them effective for the real world consulting environment.