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Development and Application of a Variable-Frequency-Based Electric Sounding System for Increasing the Accuracy of Aquifer Detection

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Abstract

The demand for groundwater resources has increased owing to global developments of urbanization, industry, and agriculture. There is thus a need for advanced geophysical techniques that can be used for accurate surveying of groundwater resources. Although electric sounding has been a standard technique in surveying, it is still difficult to specify the groundwater table and aquifer distribution accurately when considering only resistivity and induced polarization. The present paper aims to improve the accuracy by developing a variable-frequency-based electric sounding system that measures apparent resistivity in the frequency range of electrical current transmittance of 1–100 Hz at intervals of 1 Hz. Experiments using soil samples and an aquifer model based on a tank show that the coefficient of variation of resistivity (Cv) in the frequency range of 21–40 Hz was effective in detecting an aquifer because it was higher than coefficients in other frequency ranges. To verify the availability of this indicator, three field experiments with different geologic settings (i.e., plateau, coastal, and limestone aquifer fields located in the southwest and on the southern edge of Japan) were undertaken. Whereas resistivity distributions varied with the current frequency depending on the field, Cv distributions were consistent regardless of the frequency common to the three test fields. Although the resistivity characteristics did not indicate the existence of a groundwater table or aquifer, Cv for the frequency range of 21–40 Hz can be used to specify the locations of the table and aquifer and additionally the doline in the limestone aquifer field. An electrokinetically induced vibration of porous material was the most plausible mechanism that explains the large Cv in the specific frequency range. The effectiveness of using Cv and the developed variable-frequency-based electric sounding system were thus demonstrated by modeling and field experiments.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted as a part of a Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST) project by Japan Science & Technology Agency (JST), entitled “Sustainable groundwater management system based on regional hydrological cycle” (research director: Jun Shimada, Professor of Kumamoto University). The authors express their gratitude to Mr. Yuji Yoshida of Kyushu Keisokki Co., Ltd. for assisting in the system design and construction, Professor Emeritus Jun Shimada of Kumamoto University for cooperating in this research and discussing the experimental results. Sincere thanks are extended to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions that helped improve the clarity of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Geosphere Engineering Laboratory, Department of Urban Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Kyoto, Japan

    Hisafumi Asaue & Katsuaki Koike

  2. Technical Division, Faculty of Engineering, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan

    Tohru Yoshinaga

  3. Graduate School of Life Science, University of Hyogo, Himeji, Japan

    Tada-nori Goto

  4. Taihei Comprehensive Plan, Co., Ltd, Kumamoto, Japan

    Hiroaki Yoshida

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  1. Hisafumi Asaue
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  2. Katsuaki Koike
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  3. Tohru Yoshinaga
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  4. Tada-nori Goto
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  5. Hiroaki Yoshida
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Correspondence to Katsuaki Koike.

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Asaue, H., Koike, K., Yoshinaga, T. et al. Development and Application of a Variable-Frequency-Based Electric Sounding System for Increasing the Accuracy of Aquifer Detection. Nat Resour Res 30, 3017–3034 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-020-09791-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-020-09791-4

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