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Identifying Soil Patterns at Different Spatial Scales with a Multi‐Receiver EMI Sensor
Author(s) -
Saey Timothy,
De Smedt Philippe,
De Clercq Wim,
Meerschman Eef,
Monirul Islam Mohammad,
Van Meirvenne Marc
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2012.0276
Subject(s) - spatial variability , geology , emi , soil map , scale (ratio) , soil science , arable land , environmental science , spatial ecology , inversion (geology) , remote sensing , soil water , geomorphology , electromagnetic interference , geography , cartography , ecology , archaeology , engineering , telecommunications , statistics , mathematics , structural basin , biology , agriculture
Multi‐receiver electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors are increasingly being used to map soil spatial variability by measuring the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of multiple soil volumes. We present a procedure to process such measurements to identify both large‐scale soil variability patterns and small‐scale features such as archaeological traces. A 2.6‐ha arable field in Belgium was selected since aerial surveys indicated the presence of fine archaeological traces being masked partly by what appeared to be a trend in the soil composition. A survey with a DUALEM‐21S EMI sensor provided four co‐located ECa measurements of varying soil volumes, which were combined in a two‐step inversion procedure. Our procedure enhanced the distinction between the archaeological traces and probable ice‐wedge casts, with a small lateral and vertical extent, and the large‐scale trend of natural soil variability, identified as the varying depth to the interface between two contrasting soil layers.