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Coarse Root Biomass And Architecture: Applications Of Ground Penetrating Radar, John Claude Bain
Coarse Root Biomass And Architecture: Applications Of Ground Penetrating Radar, John Claude Bain
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The effectiveness of ground penetrating radar (GPR) to identify and quantify coarse roots was tested in a mixed-oak forest in Southeastern Virginia using experimental pits and locally excavated root segments. GPR was found to be highly dependent on low soil moisture levels as it is unable to differentiate root structures if they possess similar moisture content as their surrounding soil. Likewise, GPR was unable to identify simulated dead roots. This does not alter the effectiveness of GPR to measure living coarse root biomass, but does present the potential for underestimation of carbon storage in coarse root structures, as a dead …