The Application of Ground-Penetrating Radar Inversion in the Determination of Soil Moisture Content in Reclaimed Coal Mine Areas
Source abstract
Abstract
After the completion of open-pit coal mining, land reclamation is implemented to restore the disturbed eco–hydrological system, for which accurate soil moisture characterization is essential. We evaluated the feasibility and performance of an Auto-Regressive Moving Average (ARMA)-based ground-penetrating radar (GPR) inversion scheme for estimating soil moisture in a reclaimed mine area. GPR data were acquired over a reconstructed three-layer soil profile in a reclaimed open-pit coal mine, and soil moisture content was independently determined using the oven-drying method on core samples. An ARMA model was used to describe the relationship between the GPR reflections and soil electromagnetic properties and to invert the vertical distribution of soil moisture. The ARMA-derived GPR estimates reproduced the measured moisture profile well within the depth interval of 1.4–3.0 m and revealed the clear vertical zonation of soil moisture associated with the engineered layering. Correlation coefficients between the ARMA-inverted GPR estimates and oven-drying measurements ranged from 0.64–0.78 for 0–1.4 m, 0.84–0.93 for 1.4–2.2 m, and 0.98–0.99 for 2.2–3.0 m, indicating that inversion accuracy improves systematically with depth. These results demonstrate that ARMA-based GPR inversion provides a reliable and non-destructive approach for quantifying soil moisture in reclaimed mine soils and offers practical support for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of reclamation in open-pit coal mining areas.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Geophysical Methods and Applications · Soil Moisture and Remote Sensing · Microwave Imaging and Scattering Analysis
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
State Key Laboratory for Fine Exploration and Intelligent Development of Coal Resources, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Key Laboratory of Mine Ecological Effects and Systematic Restoration, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100081, China
College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Beijing Urban Construction Exploration & Surveying Design Research Institute Co., Ltd., Beijing 100101, China
Funding
2025 Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Major Science and Technology Project · Key Laboratory of Mine Ecological Effects and Systematic Restoration, the Ministry of Natural Resources
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