• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.156-162
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• 2005

Particularly in research related to seawater intrusion the change of fluid electrical conductivity is one of major concerns, and effective monitoring can help to optimize a water pumping performance in coastal areas. Special considerations should be given to the mounting of sensors at proper depth during the monitoring design since the vertical distribution of fluid electrical conductivity is sensitive to the characteristics of seawater intrusion zone. This tells us the multi-channel electrical conductivity monitoring is of paramount consequence. It, however, is a rare event when this approach becomes routinely available in that commonly used commercial stand-alone type sensors are very expensive and inadequate for a long term monitoring of electrical conductivity or water level due to their restricted storage and difficulty of real-time control. For this reason, we have developed a real-time monitoring system that could meet these requirements. This system is user friendly, cost-effective, and easy to control measurement parameters - sampling interval, acquisition range, and others. And this devised system has been utilized for the electrical conductivity monitoring in boreholes, Yeonggwang-gun, Korea. Monitoring has been consecutively executed for 24 hours, and the responses of electrical conductivity at some channels have been regularly increased or decreased while pumping up water. It, with well logging data implemented before/after pumping water, verifies that electrical conductivity changes in the specified depths originate from fluid movements through sand layer or permeable fractured rock. Eventually, the multi-channel electrical conductivity monitoring system makes an effective key to secure groundwater resources in coastal areas.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2005

Inversion of multi-mode surface-wave phase velocity for shallow engineering site investigation has received much attention in recent years. A sensitivity analysis and inversion of both synthetic and field data demonstrates the greater effectiveness of this method over employing the fundamental mode alone. Perturbation of thickness and shear-wave velocity parameters in multi-modal Rayleigh wave phase velocities revealed that the sensitivities of higher modes: (a) concentrate in different frequency bands, and (b) are greater than the fundamental mode for deeper parameters. These observations suggest that multi-mode phase velocity inversion can provide better parameter discrimination and imaging of deep structure, especially with a velocity reversal, than can inversion of fundamental mode data alone. An inversion of the theoretical phase velocities in a model with a low velocity layer at 20 m depth can only image the soft layer when the first higher mode is incorporated. This is especially important when the lowest measurable frequency is only 6 Hz. Field tests were conducted at sites surveyed by borehole and PS logging. At the first site, an array microtremor survey, often used for deep geological surveying in Japan, was used to survey the soil down to 35 m depth. At the second site, linear multichannel spreads with a sledgehammer source were recorded, for an investigation down to 12 m depth. The f-k power spectrum method was applied for dispersion analysis, and velocities up to the second higher mode were observed in each test. The multi-mode inversion results agree well with PS logs, but models estimated from the fundamental mode alone show f large underestimation of the depth to shallow soft layers below artificial fill.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.424-431
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• 2009

This study investigates the difference of sound velocity (compressional wave velocity) between gas hydrate-bearing sediments and nongas hydrate-bearing sediments in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea. We use a dataset measured from one site in the central part of the Ulleung Basin. Sound velocity for gas hydrate-bearing sediment shows the range from 1600 m/s to 2200 m/s. However, the value for nongas hydrate-bearing sediment is mostly around 1500 m/s, being less than 1400 m/s below 140 m subbottom depth. This trend is probably due to the presence of free gas below BSR (Bottom Simulating Reflector). Gas hydrate-bearing sediments show high value (maximum 150 Ohm-m) of resistivity. The physical properties between gas hydrate-bearing sediment and nongas hydrate-bearing sediment are characterized by the different patterns due to the presence of gas hydrate in comparison with those of marine unconsolidated sediments. Therefore, in order to investigate acoustic and physical properties for gas hydrate-bearing sediments, the study for the occurrence type and the amount of gas hydrates should be conducted simultaneously.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.64-74
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• 2007

The marine seismic prospecting using a research vessel in the shallow sea near the coastal area has certain limits according to the water depth and survey environment. Also, for the electrical resistivity survey at seashore area, one may need a specially designed high-voltage source to penetrate the very conductive surface layer. Therefore, we have conducted a feasibility study on the application of magnetotelluric method (MT), a passive geophysical method, on investigating of shallow marine environment geology. Our study involves both theoretical modeling and field survey at the tidal flat area which represent the very shallow marine environment. We have applied the audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT) method to the intertidal deposits of Gunhung Bay, west coast of Korea, and analysed the field data both qualitatively and quantitatively to investigate the morphology and sedimentary stratigraphy of the tidal flat. The inversion of AMT data well reveals the upper sedimentary layer of Holocene intertidal sediments having a range of 13-20 m thickness and the erosional patterns at the unconformable contact boundary. However, the AMT inversion results tend to overestimate the depth of basement (30-50 m) when compared with the seismic section (27-33 m). Since MT responses are not significantly sensitive to the resistivity of middle layer or the depth of basement, the AMT inversion result for basement may have to be adjusted using the comparison with other geophysical information like seismic section or logging data if possible. But, the AMT method can be an effective alternative choice for investigating the seashore area to get important basic informations such as the depositional environment of the tidal flat, sea-water intrusion and the basement structure near the sea shore.