Using ground-penetrating radar to evaluate soil compaction of athletic turfgrass fields.

摘要

Repairing a compacted turfgrass athletic field is a laborious activity, requiring significant expense. The objective of this project is to develop a rapid survey method for mapping soil compaction that occurs from player trafficking. Once mapped, field managers can target compacted regions of their fields for site-specific remediation; thereby, reducing their labor and expenses. We developed a non-intrusive survey protocol employing ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and an ultra-high frequency antenna. The ultra-high frequency antenna probed to a very shallow depth, into the near-surface layers affected by foot-traffic compaction. We scanned a profile extending 50 cm beneath the turf grass surface of a football field. The GPR survey supplied spatial patterns of soil compaction, and the horizon thicknesses of organic matter, sand, and the gravel-base substratum. The spatial patterns of the GPR data sets compared similarly to those patterns of surface hardness obtained using a Clegg Impact Soil Tester.