Experimental Evaluation of Several Key Factors Affecting Root Biomass Estimation by 1500 MHz Ground-Penetrating Radar

Bain, John; Day, Frank; Butnor, John

doi:10.3390/rs9121337

Experimental Evaluation of Several Key Factors Affecting Root Biomass Estimation by 1500 MHz Ground-Penetrating Radar

Journal Article · Tue Dec 19 23:00:00 EST 2017 · Remote Sensing

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9121337· OSTI ID:2371592

Bain, John; Day, Frank; Butnor, John

Accurate quantification of coarse roots without disturbance represents a gap in our understanding of belowground ecology. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has shown significant promise for coarse root detection and measurement, however root orientation relative to scanning transect direction, the difficulty identifying dead root mass, and the effects of root shadowing are all key factors affecting biomass estimation that require additional research. Specifically, many aspects of GPR applicability for coarse root measurement have not been tested with a full range of antenna frequencies. We tested the effects of multiple scanning directions, root crossover, and root versus soil moisture content in a sand-hill mixed oak community using a 1500 MHz antenna, which provides higher resolution than the oft used 900 MHz antenna. Combining four scanning directions produced a significant relationship between GPR signal reflectance and coarse root biomass (R2 = 0.75) (p < 0.01) and reduced variability encountered when fewer scanning directions were used. Additionally, significantly fewer roots were correctly identified when their moisture content was allowed to equalize with the surrounding soil (p < 0.01), providing evidence to support assertions that GPR cannot reliably identify dead root mass. The 1500 MHz antenna was able to identify roots in close proximity of each other as well as roots shadowed beneath shallower roots, providing higher precision than a 900 MHz antenna. As expected, using a 1500 MHz antenna eliminates some of the deficiency in precision observed in studies that utilized lower frequency antennas.

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0008099

OSTI ID:: 2371592

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1499903

Journal Information:: Remote Sensing, Journal Name: Remote Sensing Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 9; ISSN 2072-4292; ISSN RSBSBZ

Publisher:: MDPI AGCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Switzerland

Language:: English

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