Imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor
Images of the morphology of a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts are a valuable aid to paleoclimatological reconstructions. Usually such images are obtained by aerial photography showing polygonal crop marks reflecting textural differences between wedge filling and host material. Our objective was...
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ftunivgent:oai:archive.ugent.be:1959985 2023-10-01T03:56:35+02:00 Imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor Meerschman, Eef Van Meirvenne, Marc De Smedt, Philippe Saey, Timothy Islam, Mohammad Monirul Meeuws, Fun Van De Vijver, Ellen Ghysels, Gunther 2011 application/pdf https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1959985 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-1959985 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0063 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1959985/file/1959995 eng eng https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1959985 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-1959985 http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0063 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1959985/file/1959995 No license (in copyright) info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL ISSN: 0361-5995 Mathematics and Statistics EM38DD DUALEM-21S SENSORS PSEUDOMORPHS SENSITIVITY FLANDERS BELGIUM CANADA DEPTH SOIL USA journalArticle info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2011 ftunivgent https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0063 2023-09-06T22:28:08Z Images of the morphology of a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts are a valuable aid to paleoclimatological reconstructions. Usually such images are obtained by aerial photography showing polygonal crop marks reflecting textural differences between wedge filling and host material. Our objective was to investigate an alternative method by measuring the soil apparent electrical conductivity (EC(a)) with an electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensor. Based on an aerial photograph showing polygonal crop marks in an agricultural field in Belgium, a test area of 0.63 ha was selected. A small part of the test area (6 by 6 m) was excavated revealing a clear pattern of ice-wedge casts. The wedges penetrated clay-rich Tertiary marine sediments, covered by a 0.6-m layer of eolian sandy sediments, and were associated with the permafrost during the last glacial period. We took 94 subsoil (0.6-0.8 m) samples distributed over the test area and analyzed their texture. The results showed a clear difference between the Eocene host material (on average 21% clay) and the Quaternary wedge filling (on average 6% clay). The test area was surveyed with an EMI sensor (we used an EM38DD) which resulted in an accurate image of the polygonal network. We concluded that an EMI survey is an appropriate technique to image the morphology of a polygonal network of subsoil ice-wedge casts. A final perspective comprises the strong heterogeneity of the subsoil, since nearly half of the subsoil consists of ice-wedge material. This might open perspectives for precision agriculture in such landscapes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice permafrost wedge* Ghent University Academic Bibliography Canada Soil Science Society of America Journal 75 6 2095 2100 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Ghent University Academic Bibliography |
op_collection_id |
ftunivgent |
language |
English |
topic |
Mathematics and Statistics EM38DD DUALEM-21S SENSORS PSEUDOMORPHS SENSITIVITY FLANDERS BELGIUM CANADA DEPTH SOIL USA |
spellingShingle |
Mathematics and Statistics EM38DD DUALEM-21S SENSORS PSEUDOMORPHS SENSITIVITY FLANDERS BELGIUM CANADA DEPTH SOIL USA Meerschman, Eef Van Meirvenne, Marc De Smedt, Philippe Saey, Timothy Islam, Mohammad Monirul Meeuws, Fun Van De Vijver, Ellen Ghysels, Gunther Imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor |
topic_facet |
Mathematics and Statistics EM38DD DUALEM-21S SENSORS PSEUDOMORPHS SENSITIVITY FLANDERS BELGIUM CANADA DEPTH SOIL USA |
description |
Images of the morphology of a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts are a valuable aid to paleoclimatological reconstructions. Usually such images are obtained by aerial photography showing polygonal crop marks reflecting textural differences between wedge filling and host material. Our objective was to investigate an alternative method by measuring the soil apparent electrical conductivity (EC(a)) with an electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensor. Based on an aerial photograph showing polygonal crop marks in an agricultural field in Belgium, a test area of 0.63 ha was selected. A small part of the test area (6 by 6 m) was excavated revealing a clear pattern of ice-wedge casts. The wedges penetrated clay-rich Tertiary marine sediments, covered by a 0.6-m layer of eolian sandy sediments, and were associated with the permafrost during the last glacial period. We took 94 subsoil (0.6-0.8 m) samples distributed over the test area and analyzed their texture. The results showed a clear difference between the Eocene host material (on average 21% clay) and the Quaternary wedge filling (on average 6% clay). The test area was surveyed with an EMI sensor (we used an EM38DD) which resulted in an accurate image of the polygonal network. We concluded that an EMI survey is an appropriate technique to image the morphology of a polygonal network of subsoil ice-wedge casts. A final perspective comprises the strong heterogeneity of the subsoil, since nearly half of the subsoil consists of ice-wedge material. This might open perspectives for precision agriculture in such landscapes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Meerschman, Eef Van Meirvenne, Marc De Smedt, Philippe Saey, Timothy Islam, Mohammad Monirul Meeuws, Fun Van De Vijver, Ellen Ghysels, Gunther |
author_facet |
Meerschman, Eef Van Meirvenne, Marc De Smedt, Philippe Saey, Timothy Islam, Mohammad Monirul Meeuws, Fun Van De Vijver, Ellen Ghysels, Gunther |
author_sort |
Meerschman, Eef |
title |
Imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor |
title_short |
Imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor |
title_full |
Imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor |
title_fullStr |
Imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor |
title_full_unstemmed |
Imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor |
title_sort |
imaging a polygonal network of ice-wedge casts with an electromagnetic induction sensor |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1959985 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-1959985 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0063 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1959985/file/1959995 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Ice permafrost wedge* |
genre_facet |
Ice permafrost wedge* |
op_source |
SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL ISSN: 0361-5995 |
op_relation |
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1959985 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-1959985 http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0063 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1959985/file/1959995 |
op_rights |
No license (in copyright) info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0063 |
container_title |
Soil Science Society of America Journal |
container_volume |
75 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
2095 |
op_container_end_page |
2100 |
_version_ |
1778526556711288832 |