Combined Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar to map Eurasian badger (Meles Meles) burrows in clay-rich flood embankments (levees).

Adrian White; Paul Wilkinson; James Boyd; James M Wookey; J M Kendall; Andrew Binley; Timothy  Grossey; Jonathan Chambers

doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2023.107198

Combined Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar to map Eurasian badger (Meles Meles) burrows in clay-rich flood embankments (levees).

Adrian White^*, Paul Wilkinson, James Boyd, James M Wookey, J M Kendall, Andrew Binley, Timothy Grossey, Jonathan Chambers

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Globally, earth embankments are used to protect against flooding. Raised above the surrounding water table, these embankments make ideal habitats for many burrowing animals whose burrows can impact their structural integrity. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is commonly used to identify and map animal burrows and other small cavities. However, the depth of investigation of a GPR survey can be severely limited in saline and clay-rich environments, soil properties commonly associated with flood embankments. In contrast, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) can image subsurface voids in conductive ground conditions but has been rarely used to image animal burrows. Here we aim to assess the efficacy of ERT and GPR to image two badger burrow networks, called ‘setts’, located in clay embankments on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, UK. The two setts were excavated to validate the geophysical results, and the soil was characterised through logging and geotechnical analysis to develop a ground model of the site. We find that ERT can accurately resolve tunnels down to 1.5 m depth, map the structure of a multi-entrance badger sett and successfully identify the end of the tunnels. This result compares favourably to the GPR surveys, which mapped all but the deepest tunnels, limited by its penetration depth due to clay soils. Our results show that ERT can be used as a primary survey tool for animal burrows in clay-rich environments and can be validated using co-located GPR surveys if penetration depth is sufficient. The implications of this study may allow embankment managers to map burrow networks, assess flood embankment stability, minimise repair costs, and reduce unexpected failures during flood events. Additionally, a better understanding of how, for example, local heterogeneities impact badgers’ burrow geometry may be achievable using these geophysical methods, as they provide a non-destructive, repeatable method for imaging setts.

Original language	English
Article number	107198
Journal	Engineering Geology
Volume	323
Early online date	29 May 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2023.107198
Publication status	Published - 20 Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge John Ball for his help with the geophysical field surveys, and Oliver Kuras for guidance in presenting the work. We would also like to thank Dan Normandale, Kim Ryan and Mathew Arthur from the Environment Agency for providing the field sites and providing valuable feedback on the manuscript. This work was partly funded by a NERC GW4+ UK Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship (Grant NE/L002434/1), the BGS University Funding Initiative (S337), and the ACHILLES project (EP/R034575/1). Adrian White, Paul Wilkinson, Jonathan Chambers, and James Boyd publish with the permission of the Executive Director, British Geological Survey (UKRI-NERC). All content generated as part of this work is copyright of the British Geological Survey © UKRI 2022 / The University of Bristol 2022. The authors are grateful to the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and feedback.

Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge John Ball for his help with the geophysical field surveys, and Oliver Kuras for guidance in presenting the work. We would also like to thank Dan Normandale, Kim Ryan and Mathew Arthur from the Environment Agency for providing the field sites and providing valuable feedback on the manuscript. This work was partly funded by a NERC GW4+ UK Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship (Grant NE/L002434/1), the BGS University Funding Initiative (S337), and the ACHILLES project (EP/R034575/1). Adrian White, Paul Wilkinson, Jonathan Chambers, and James Boyd publish with the permission of the Executive Director, British Geological Survey (UKRI-NERC). All content generated as part of this work is copyright of the British Geological Survey © UKRI 2022 / The University of Bristol 2022. The authors are grateful to the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and feedback.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 British Geological Survey (C) UKRI 2023 & (C) 2023 University of Bristol

Keywords

Electrical Resistivity Tomography
Ground Penetrating Radar
Meles meles
burrow
levee
flood embankment

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@article{d9cf435b735443e7867fd5b1a676a6cb,

title = "Combined Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar to map Eurasian badger (Meles Meles) burrows in clay-rich flood embankments (levees).",

abstract = "Globally, earth embankments are used to protect against flooding. Raised above the surrounding water table, these embankments make ideal habitats for many burrowing animals whose burrows can impact their structural integrity. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is commonly used to identify and map animal burrows and other small cavities. However, the depth of investigation of a GPR survey can be severely limited in saline and clay-rich environments, soil properties commonly associated with flood embankments. In contrast, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) can image subsurface voids in conductive ground conditions but has been rarely used to image animal burrows. Here we aim to assess the efficacy of ERT and GPR to image two badger burrow networks, called {\textquoteleft}setts{\textquoteright}, located in clay embankments on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, UK. The two setts were excavated to validate the geophysical results, and the soil was characterised through logging and geotechnical analysis to develop a ground model of the site. We find that ERT can accurately resolve tunnels down to 1.5 m depth, map the structure of a multi-entrance badger sett and successfully identify the end of the tunnels. This result compares favourably to the GPR surveys, which mapped all but the deepest tunnels, limited by its penetration depth due to clay soils. Our results show that ERT can be used as a primary survey tool for animal burrows in clay-rich environments and can be validated using co-located GPR surveys if penetration depth is sufficient. The implications of this study may allow embankment managers to map burrow networks, assess flood embankment stability, minimise repair costs, and reduce unexpected failures during flood events. Additionally, a better understanding of how, for example, local heterogeneities impact badgers{\textquoteright} burrow geometry may be achievable using these geophysical methods, as they provide a non-destructive, repeatable method for imaging setts. ",

keywords = "Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Ground Penetrating Radar, Meles meles, burrow, levee, flood embankment",

author = "Adrian White and Paul Wilkinson and James Boyd and Wookey, {James M} and Kendall, {J M} and Andrew Binley and Timothy Grossey and Jonathan Chambers",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge John Ball for his help with the geophysical field surveys, and Oliver Kuras for guidance in presenting the work. We would also like to thank Dan Normandale, Kim Ryan and Mathew Arthur from the Environment Agency for providing the field sites and providing valuable feedback on the manuscript. This work was partly funded by a NERC GW4+ UK Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship (Grant NE/L002434/1), the BGS University Funding Initiative (S337), and the ACHILLES project (EP/R034575/1). Adrian White, Paul Wilkinson, Jonathan Chambers, and James Boyd publish with the permission of the Executive Director, British Geological Survey (UKRI-NERC). All content generated as part of this work is copyright of the British Geological Survey {\textcopyright} UKRI 2022 / The University of Bristol 2022. The authors are grateful to the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and feedback. Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge John Ball for his help with the geophysical field surveys, and Oliver Kuras for guidance in presenting the work. We would also like to thank Dan Normandale, Kim Ryan and Mathew Arthur from the Environment Agency for providing the field sites and providing valuable feedback on the manuscript. This work was partly funded by a NERC GW4+ UK Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship (Grant NE/L002434/1), the BGS University Funding Initiative (S337), and the ACHILLES project (EP/R034575/1). Adrian White, Paul Wilkinson, Jonathan Chambers, and James Boyd publish with the permission of the Executive Director, British Geological Survey (UKRI-NERC). All content generated as part of this work is copyright of the British Geological Survey {\textcopyright} UKRI 2022 / The University of Bristol 2022. The authors are grateful to the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and feedback. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 British Geological Survey (C) UKRI 2023 & (C) 2023 University of Bristol",

year = "2023",

month = sep,

day = "20",

doi = "10.1016/j.enggeo.2023.107198",

language = "English",

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journal = "Engineering Geology",

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T1 - Combined Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar to map Eurasian badger (Meles Meles) burrows in clay-rich flood embankments (levees).

AU - White, Adrian

AU - Wilkinson, Paul

AU - Boyd, James

AU - Wookey, James M

AU - Kendall, J M

AU - Binley, Andrew

AU - Grossey, Timothy

AU - Chambers, Jonathan

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge John Ball for his help with the geophysical field surveys, and Oliver Kuras for guidance in presenting the work. We would also like to thank Dan Normandale, Kim Ryan and Mathew Arthur from the Environment Agency for providing the field sites and providing valuable feedback on the manuscript. This work was partly funded by a NERC GW4+ UK Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship (Grant NE/L002434/1), the BGS University Funding Initiative (S337), and the ACHILLES project (EP/R034575/1). Adrian White, Paul Wilkinson, Jonathan Chambers, and James Boyd publish with the permission of the Executive Director, British Geological Survey (UKRI-NERC). All content generated as part of this work is copyright of the British Geological Survey © UKRI 2022 / The University of Bristol 2022. The authors are grateful to the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and feedback. Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge John Ball for his help with the geophysical field surveys, and Oliver Kuras for guidance in presenting the work. We would also like to thank Dan Normandale, Kim Ryan and Mathew Arthur from the Environment Agency for providing the field sites and providing valuable feedback on the manuscript. This work was partly funded by a NERC GW4+ UK Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship (Grant NE/L002434/1), the BGS University Funding Initiative (S337), and the ACHILLES project (EP/R034575/1). Adrian White, Paul Wilkinson, Jonathan Chambers, and James Boyd publish with the permission of the Executive Director, British Geological Survey (UKRI-NERC). All content generated as part of this work is copyright of the British Geological Survey © UKRI 2022 / The University of Bristol 2022. The authors are grateful to the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and feedback. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 British Geological Survey (C) UKRI 2023 & (C) 2023 University of Bristol

PY - 2023/9/20

Y1 - 2023/9/20

N2 - Globally, earth embankments are used to protect against flooding. Raised above the surrounding water table, these embankments make ideal habitats for many burrowing animals whose burrows can impact their structural integrity. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is commonly used to identify and map animal burrows and other small cavities. However, the depth of investigation of a GPR survey can be severely limited in saline and clay-rich environments, soil properties commonly associated with flood embankments. In contrast, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) can image subsurface voids in conductive ground conditions but has been rarely used to image animal burrows. Here we aim to assess the efficacy of ERT and GPR to image two badger burrow networks, called ‘setts’, located in clay embankments on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, UK. The two setts were excavated to validate the geophysical results, and the soil was characterised through logging and geotechnical analysis to develop a ground model of the site. We find that ERT can accurately resolve tunnels down to 1.5 m depth, map the structure of a multi-entrance badger sett and successfully identify the end of the tunnels. This result compares favourably to the GPR surveys, which mapped all but the deepest tunnels, limited by its penetration depth due to clay soils. Our results show that ERT can be used as a primary survey tool for animal burrows in clay-rich environments and can be validated using co-located GPR surveys if penetration depth is sufficient. The implications of this study may allow embankment managers to map burrow networks, assess flood embankment stability, minimise repair costs, and reduce unexpected failures during flood events. Additionally, a better understanding of how, for example, local heterogeneities impact badgers’ burrow geometry may be achievable using these geophysical methods, as they provide a non-destructive, repeatable method for imaging setts.

AB - Globally, earth embankments are used to protect against flooding. Raised above the surrounding water table, these embankments make ideal habitats for many burrowing animals whose burrows can impact their structural integrity. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is commonly used to identify and map animal burrows and other small cavities. However, the depth of investigation of a GPR survey can be severely limited in saline and clay-rich environments, soil properties commonly associated with flood embankments. In contrast, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) can image subsurface voids in conductive ground conditions but has been rarely used to image animal burrows. Here we aim to assess the efficacy of ERT and GPR to image two badger burrow networks, called ‘setts’, located in clay embankments on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, UK. The two setts were excavated to validate the geophysical results, and the soil was characterised through logging and geotechnical analysis to develop a ground model of the site. We find that ERT can accurately resolve tunnels down to 1.5 m depth, map the structure of a multi-entrance badger sett and successfully identify the end of the tunnels. This result compares favourably to the GPR surveys, which mapped all but the deepest tunnels, limited by its penetration depth due to clay soils. Our results show that ERT can be used as a primary survey tool for animal burrows in clay-rich environments and can be validated using co-located GPR surveys if penetration depth is sufficient. The implications of this study may allow embankment managers to map burrow networks, assess flood embankment stability, minimise repair costs, and reduce unexpected failures during flood events. Additionally, a better understanding of how, for example, local heterogeneities impact badgers’ burrow geometry may be achievable using these geophysical methods, as they provide a non-destructive, repeatable method for imaging setts.

KW - Electrical Resistivity Tomography

KW - Ground Penetrating Radar

KW - Meles meles

KW - burrow

KW - levee

KW - flood embankment

U2 - 10.1016/j.enggeo.2023.107198

DO - 10.1016/j.enggeo.2023.107198

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

SN - 0013-7952

VL - 323

JO - Engineering Geology

JF - Engineering Geology

M1 - 107198

ER -

Combined Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar to map Eurasian badger (Meles Meles) burrows in clay-rich flood embankments (levees).

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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