Apparent electrical conductivity mapping in managed podzols using multi-coil and multi-frequency EMI sensor measurements

Badewa, Emmanuel Adedamola (2017) Apparent electrical conductivity mapping in managed podzols using multi-coil and multi-frequency EMI sensor measurements. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The research focused on utilizing apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) survey protocols in characterizing the spatial and temporal variability of soil physical and hydraulic properties in Western Newfoundland, Canada. In this study, two different non-invasive multi-coil and multi-frequency EMI sensors; CMD Mini-explorer and GEM-2, respectively were used to collect ECa data under different nutrient management systems at Pynn’s Brook Research Station, Pasadena. Results showed that due to the differences in investigation depths of the two EMI sensors, the linear regression models generated for SMC using the CMD Mini-explorer were statistically significant with the highest R² = 0.79 and the lowest RMSE = 0.015 m³ m⁻³ and not significant for GEM-2 with the lowest R² = 0.17 and RMSE = 0.045 m³ m⁻³. Furthermore, there is a significant relationship between the ECa mean relative differences (MRD) versus SMC MRD (R² = 0.33 to 0.70) for both multi-Coil and multi-Frequency sensors. In addition, the spatial variability of the ECa predicted soil properties are relatively consistent with lower variability compared to the measured soil properties. Conclusively, the ECa measurements obtained through either multi-coil or multi-frequency sensors have the potential to be successfully employed for soil physical and hydraulic properties at the field scale.

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