A cost-effective method to map the top of shallow groundwater systems

This paper presents an integrated GPR-OK procedure to detect the depth to a water table below the ground surface. The study evaluates the applicability of this approach to locate a water table using an inexpensive and efficient procedure. The proposed methodology may be utilized to map the surface of a shallow groundwater resource or detect the spatial extent of groundwater contamination. A pilot study was conducted in a small area of an inter-dune terrain in the Jaforah Desert system of Eastern Saudi Arabia to test the approach. The hydrogeologic data was acquired by a 300 MHz antenna of a SIR-2 GPR system. A velocity of 0.15 ml ns was used for time-to-depth conversion. Preliminary analysis indicates that the depth to water table lies in the range of 65 cm to 68 cm. The result indicates that this method may be employed in larger scale projects to assess new groundwater resources or monitor and manage the extent of groundwater pollution.