Soil piping remains a relatively unexplored phenomenon despite its substantial impacts on water and sediment transfer at the watershed scale at numerous locations around the world. One of the main limitations regarding the study of this singular process is the characterization of the pipe networks (in terms of number, position, dimensions, and connectivity of pipes). In this context, noninvasive subsurface imaging using ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) has proven to be a promising technique. This study used two three‐dimensional (3D), high‐resolution GPR surveys performed in loess‐derived soils to characterize small pipe networks with little prior information about their location. The adopted methodology relies on high spatial resolution scanning, 3D subsurface imaging, and automated detection of reflection hyperbolas using a 200‐MHz center‐frequency antenna. Two small watersheds affected by piping were investigated at Sippenaeken and Kluisbergen (Belgium). Over the two scanned zones, results revealed significant subsurface continuous patterns. Even though the most obvious patterns corresponded to recent or past anthropic activities (e.g., artificial drainage pipes), validation tests confirmed that the chosen methodology can be used for pipe network characterization because some important continuity patterns were related to soil piping: for instance, a fairly small pipe (approximately 10–15 cm in diameter) was detected and validated for more than 100 m. Nevertheless, the high variability in size, depth, and orientation of the pipes imply that GPR may only be truly efficient when using very high spatial resolution scanning, which limits its application to specific conditions not always met in piped areas.

中文翻译：

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利用探地雷达表征黄土源土的土壤管道网络

尽管土壤管道系统在世界上许多地方都对分水岭规模的水和沉积物转移产生了重大影响，但它仍然是一个相对尚未开发的现象。关于研究这种奇异过程的主要限制之一是管网的特征（就管的数量，位置，尺寸和连通性而言）。在这种情况下，已证明使用探地雷达（GPR）进行无创地下成像是一种很有前途的技术。这项研究使用了两个在黄土衍生的土壤中进行的三维（3D）高分辨率GPR调查，以表征小型管道网络，而鲜为人知。所采用的方法依赖于高空间分辨率扫描，3D地下成像，并使用200 MHz中心频率天线自动检测反射双曲线。在Sippenaeken和Kluisbergen（比利时）研究了受管道影响的两个小流域。在两个扫描区域上，结果显示出明显的地下连续模式。即使最明显的模式对应于最近或过去的人类活动（例如，人工排水管），验证测试也证实了所选方法可用于管网表征，因为一些重要的连续性模式与土壤管相关：例如，检测到相当小的管子（直径约10–15 cm），并验证了100 m以上。但是，尺寸，深度，