Imaging tree root systems using ground penetrating radar (GPR) data in Brazil

Trees sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, storing it in branches, stems, and roots, where the belowground carbon fraction, approximately ¼ of the total amount, exhibits significant interspecies root biomass variability. Estimating the amount of carbon stored in tree roots of different species is key to understanding an important aspect of climate change and exploring how natural forests, urban tree planting policies, and reforestation projects might help to address it. In this context, one of the most prominent Non-Destructive Testing methods capable of estimating the diameter and length of roots at different depths is ground penetrating radar (GPR). It has been widely used for geological, archaeological, and geotechnical studies due to its accuracy in locating buried material in different contexts, although standards for the correct management of datasets related to belowground root systems are still been developed. This paper reports a GPR signal processing flow to estimate the root diameter of three species of tropical forest trees, and to demonstrate the method’s viability, a dataset was collected in a study area with a 900 MHz shielded antenna. A multi-stage data processing flow is then presented, including raw data, file format conversion, zero-time adjustment, background removal, signal gain, Stolt FK migration, and time-to-depth conversion with hyperbolic adjustment velocity. The resulting data were converted from true amplitude data to a trace envelope. High amplitudes on the envelope section, with lateral continuity in parallel sections, were interpreted as roots. However, the interpretation of outcomes encounters notable complexities, primarily attributable to the intricate nature of subsurface root architectures, the soil matrix characterized by significant clay content, and the co-occurrence of buried materials proximate to the arboreal subjects. Consequently, amplitudes discerned within ground penetrating radar (GPR) 2D sections necessitate cautious interpretation, as they are not immediately indicative of subsurface roots. To overcome this difficulty, this study used direct measurements of the roots in the field, to confirm the GPR data. Despite these complexities, the study demonstrates GPR’s efficacy, particularly in the uppermost soil layer-a pivotal carbon reservoir with a 96% correlation (R2) between GPR-derived coarse-root diameter estimates and field measurements.