Geophysical Field Work and Processing: Preparation and Field Work

Abstract

Mapping aquifers for water supply, identifying archaeological remains to protect them, and investigating landslides for geohazard assessments are three examples highlighting the critical role played by near-surface geophysics. The course ‘Geophysical Field Work and Processing’ split into ‘Methods’, ‘Preparation’ and ‘Field Work’ provides an introduction into near-surface geophysical field work.

Objective

The overall learning goal of the course 'Geophysical Fieldwork and Processing' is that by the end of the course the students will be able to plan and conduct a near-surface geophysical field campaign to address a ‘real-world’ problem as well as to process their self-acquired data, and to interpret and document their results. Specific learning objectives of the ‘Preparation’ and ‘Field Work’ part are that by the end of the course, students will be able to… …design and plan experiments to collect geophysical data appropriate for the target of investigation; …relate the problem to solve to other investigations (e.g., case studies); …identify the appropriate analysis technique and adequately process the data using state-of-the-art approaches; …critically evaluate intermediate and final results; …interpret the results considering all relevant information and draw conclusions based on the results; …integrate the results into context and compare the results with relevant data and other studies.

Content

The ‘Preparation’ and ‘Field Work’ parts of ‘Geophysical Field Work and Processing’ are dedicated to addressing ‘real-world’ problems such as mapping archaeological remains, investigating the internal structure of a landslide, or locating abandoned landfills in geophysical field campaigns planned by student teams. Typically, the projects will be conducted in close collaboration with external experts. The ‘Preparation’ part of the course (second half of the semester) is centered around planning the field experiments by introducing the students first to the ‘real-world’ problems that will be addressed. Then, they will learn in classroom lectures and hands-on exercises how to use tools to plan and conduct the field campaigns, such as preparing maps using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for surveying. By the end of the ‘Preparation’ part, the students teams will have worked out plans to carry out the field experiments based on expert lectures, literature studies and potential field visits. The ’Field Work’ part (first month following the spring semester; June) is centered around conducting in small teams field campaigns to acquire geophysical data using different methods to solve the ‘real-world’ problems. The students will then process, analyze and interpret their self-acquired data. Typically, the students will spend several days in the field followed by data processing sessions using state-of-the art software solutions. The final results and interpretations will be presented (oral presentations; written reports) and discussed in the class as well as with external experts.

Resources