La contamination par les hydrocarbures peut altérer les propriétés physicochimiques et biologiques du sous-sol, par conséquent le diagnostic et l’évolution des contaminants peuvent être surveillés en couplant les analyses géochimiques et les techniques géophysiques. Dans ce travail, différentes méthodes géophysiques de sub-surface telles que la tomographie de résistivité électrique, la polarisation induite, le géoradar et le potentiel spontané ont été utilisées d’une manière combinée pour localiser les zones impactées par les hydrocarbures du site de l’ancienne raffinerie de Petit Couronne. Les investigations géophysiques par la tomographie de résistivité électrique en 2D ont révélés la présence des anomalies de fortes valeurs de conductivité et chargeabilité électrique associés aux zones contaminées de l’aquifère. Les résultats obtenus avec les profils d’ERT et IP indiquent que la contamination a modifié les parties capacitives et ohmiques de la conduction électrique dans les sédiments contaminés. Cette signature très conductrice des zones contaminées est due aux processus de biodégradation des hydrocarbures qui minéralisent les eaux de l’aquifère. Les panaches d’hydrocarbures ont été identifiés sur les profils de géoradar par une forte atténuation des amplitudes de signaux électromagnétiques. Les profils de potentiel spontané ont aussi fourni une cartographie spatiale des zones contaminées par leurs signatures électriques négatives qui est associées aux processus d'oxydoréduction et biodégradation à l’interface entre la zone non saturée et saturée. Une carte de potentiel redox a été reconstruite à partir de l'inversion des données résiduelles de potentiel spontané grâce au calcul des composantes de la densité du courant électrique. La contribution redox dans l'aquifère contaminé s'explique par des dipôles verticaux répartis sur la frange capillaire juste au-dessus de la nappe phréatique, en favorisant le mécanisme de la biogéobatterie sur ce site. L’ensemble de ces résultats ont été confirmés par les mesures géochimiques menées au niveau des forages. L'étude a montré que les altérations biologiques des hydrocarbures ont modifié les propriétés chimiques de l'eau porale et que l'étendue de la contamination des eaux souterraines peut être délimitée à partir du contraste géophysique observé entre les zones contaminées et les zones non contaminées. La combinaison des différentes méthodes géophysiques avec des analyses géochimiques ponctuelles au niveau des forages ont permis de mieux comprendre les différents processus qui sont à l’origine de modifications des propriétés biogéochimiques dans les sols et les eaux souterraines. / The presence of hydrocarbon contamination in the subsurface can modify the physiochemical and biological properties of soil and groundwater. The sensitivity of geophysical methods to biogeochemical changes occurring in contaminated media can be used to monitor hydrocarbon contamination in a fast and inexpensive way. As such, geophysical methods including, electrical resistivity tomography, induced polarization, ground penetrating radar, self-potential and magnetic susceptibility were used in this work to characterize the hydrocarbon contamination and investigate its effects on the soil and groundwater geophysical and geochemical properties at a site impacted by an aged hydrocarbon plume. The geophysical response to hydrocarbon contamination varies according to factors related to the contaminant in question and to the contaminated environment. Therefore, to achieve a better interpretation, the field geophysical data were constrained by geochemical soil boring data which showed that biodegradation is occurring in the site. This was shown through observing elevated total dissolved solids concentrations, elevated groundwater electrical conductivity values, negative redox potential values and depleted terminal electron acceptors concentrations in the contaminated locations. Throughout the investigation, the geophysical measurements supported the conductive model and consistently recorded low resistivity anomalies, high chargeability values and attenuated GPR reflections in the contaminated zones. Additionally, significant negative self-potential anomalies associated with oxidation-reduction processes coupled to the biodegradation of hydrocarbons were recorded in the groundwater contaminated zone. Based on this observation, a redox potential map of the contaminated site was constructed by the inversion of the field self potential data. Throughout the process, a groundwater model was first calibrated to remove the electrokinetic component from the SP signal. Then, the obtained residual self potential data was inverted for the electrical current density by using an inversion algorithm which includes minimizing a cost function with a data misfit contribution and a regularizer. As a result, the obtained current density was used to construct a map of redox potential showing the borders and the redox front of the contaminant plume. The redox contribution was explained by vertical dipoles distributed across the capillary fringe, supporting further the mechanism of bio-geo-battery which was created due to the existence of a strong redox potential gradient between the highly reducing conditions within the plume and the oxidizing conditions outside the plume. Furthermore, elevated magnetic susceptibility values were recorded in the biologically active transition zone where bio-precipitation of iron minerals is occurring. Given these results, this study showed that biological alterations of hydrocarbons induced subtle changes in the pore water biogeochemistry, which consequently modified the geophysical properties of the contaminated sediments. The extent of groundwater contamination was delineated according to the geophysical contrast between the contaminated and clean zones. Moreover, the combination of the different geophysical methods, constrained by the geochemical point measurements, provided insight on the different processes which might have modified the soil and groundwater biogeochemical properties at the contaminated site.

Un géoradar (GPR) effectue une détection non destructive d'objets enfouis, ou l'imagerie du sous-sol par transmission d'ondes électromagnétiques et la détection et l'analyse des réflexions. Le principal défi de GPR est la réduction de la portée de détection en raison de l'atténuation du signal grave causée par la conductivité du sous-sol qui devient plus sévère dans les hautes fréquences. Afin d'augmenter la portée de détection, GPR utilise des fréquences plus basses que les radars non-GPR et nécessite donc de plus grandes antennes qui peuvent limiter la portabilité du système. La plupart des systèmes utilisent des radars GPR à impulsion mais le FMCW (onde continue à fréquence modulée) radar peut présenter certains avantages tels que la versatilité de la fréquence, une maintenance réduite du système et une meilleure résolution de gamme. Les fréquences inférieures à 1 GHz ont d'abord été rares en radars de courte portée FMCW mais trouvent maintenant leur chemin de retour dans des systèmes comme ultra-large bande (UWB) pénétrant dans le sol des radars pour la détection des mines et ainsi que d'autres applications. Lorsque les mesures sont effectuées sur des véhicules, de grands appareils d'antenne ne sont pas un problème. La portabilité, cependant, peut devenir un problème dans les études géophysiques ou des travaux d'urgence dans laquelle on peut avoir besoin de transporter le système par des endroits accidentés, inexplorés et / ou dangereux sans accès aux véhicules. Des environnements inaccessibles peuvent nécessiter la manœuvrabilité à travers d’obstacles (montagnes, grottes, lacs, zones rocheuses). D’ailleurs, l’installation rapide du système est critique dans des conditions difficiles telles que les températures extrêmes, où le temps d'exposition est coûteux et le temps de mesure limité. Une solution pour améliorer la portabilité et la capacité de déploiement d'un système GPR est de réaliser un système complet sur un substrat qui est enroulable afin de permettre une transportation facile. L’électronique sur substrat flexible a déjà été utilisée dans des applications militaires et des sports en plein air. Actuellement, il y a quelques technologies disponibles pour réaliser l'électronique flexible qui ont été un thème majeur en recherche, chacune avec différents niveaux d'intégration. La technologie d'impression à jet d'encre offre une méthode efficace, polyvalente et rentable pour la réalisation de dispositifs flexibles. Dans ce travail, un système radar FMCW classique a été conçu et un travail présenté, pour la première fois, d’application de la technologie d'impression à jet d'encre sur un système de radar. Le système est appelé un système de radar monolithique portable dans lequel tous les agents actifs, passifs et l'antenne sont destinés à partager le même substrat enroulable continu. Ainsi, une intégration hybride est utilisée pour étudier la fiabilité et la performance du système complet enroulé autour d’un rayon serré. Plusieurs défis de conception d'un grand système ont été surmontés qui donneront un aperçu de nouveaux modèles au fur et à mesure que le niveau d'intégration à l'aide de la technologie d'impression à jet d'encre continue d’augmenter. / Flexible monolithic ultra-portable ground penetrating radar using inkjet printing technology A Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) performs nondestructive detection of buried objects, or subsurface imaging by transmitting electromagnetic waves and detecting and analyzing the reflections. The main challenge of GPR is the reduction in detection range due to the severe signal attenuation that is caused by subsurface conductivity that becomes more severe at high frequencies. In order to increase the detection range, GPR uses lower frequencies than non-GPR radars and thus requires larger antennas that may limit system portability. Most GPR systems use impulse radars however the FMCW (frequency modulated continuous wave) radar can provide some advantages such as frequency versatility, reduced system maintenance and improved range resolution. Frequencies below 1 GHz were initially uncommon in short-range FMCW radars but are now finding their way back in systems such as ultra-wideband (UWB) ground penetrating radars for mine detection and as well as other applications. When measurements are performed on vehicles, large antenna fixtures are not a problem. Portability, however, can become an issue in geophysical studies or emergency work in which one may need to transport the system through rugged, unexplored and/or hazardous locations without vehicle access and perform measurements. Inaccessible environments may require climbing up and down, squeezing through, jumping over, crawling under, maneuvering through or swimming through obstacles (mountains, caves, lakes, rocky areas). In addition to transportation, rapid system setup is critical in difficult conditions such as freezing temperatures or extreme heat where exposure time is costly and limits measurement time. One solution to enhance the portability and deployability of a GPR system for wide area rugged measurements is to realize a complete system on a continuous substrate that is rollable around a reasonably small radius and storable in a scroll or poster-like fashion for easy backpack transportation. Electronics that can flex and bend have already used in military applications and for outdoor sporting gear. Currently, there are a few types of technology available to realize flexible electronics that have been a major topic of research, each with different levels of integration. Inkjet printing technology offers a cost effective, versatile and efficient method for realizing flexible devices. In this work a classical FMCW radar system is designed and an effort is made, for the first time, to apply inkjet printing technology to a radar system. The system is referred to as a portable monolithic radar system in which all actives, passives and antenna are meant to share the same continuous rollable substrate. In doing this, a medium level of integration is used to investigate limits of system complexity, resolution and ultra miniaturization for tight rollability. Various design challenges of a large system are overcome that will hopefully give insight to new designs as the integration level using inkjet printing technology increases.

UHF bands because more penetration can be achieved at low frequencies. Consequently, large antennas are required, which limits their use for small airborne applications. This thesis explores various GPR antenna designs for a bi-static system that are at least operational from 225 MHz to 255 MHz and suitable for small airborne applications. The 3D electromagnetic simulation software Ansys high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) was used to simulate various sizes of strip dipole, triangular bowtie, half elliptical bowtie, and elliptical bowtie antennas. Several physical models were constructed to validate the return loss simulation results. Additionally, simulation data is included for a wire dipole and a helical antenna. The helical antenna proved to be too large for small airborne application, so focus was placed on the dipole and bowtie designs. The performance of the dipole and bowtie antenna models are compared by size, weight, return loss (𝑆11), peak gain, and the transmit-to-receive isolation. Out of the fourteen simulated models, twelve meet the bandwidth requirement with an average weight of 0.23 lbs. It is found that the strip dipole exhibited wider bandwidth characteristics than the triangular, elliptical, and half elliptical bowtie models, while maintaining similar weight and size. The smallest strip dipole model is 50 mm x 528 mm x 1 mm, weighs 0.17 lbs, and is operational from 225 MHz to 283 MHz. Two strip dipole test antennas were fabricated and tested. Test results confirm the simulation predictions.

Observations of modern carbonate depositional environments and their accompanying depositional models have been used for decades in the reconstruction and interpretation of ancient carbonate depositional environments and stratigraphic successions. While these Holocene models are necessary for interpreting their more ancient counterparts, they inherently exclude important factors related to the erosion, diagenesis, and ultimate preservation of sediments and sedimentary structures that are ubiquitous in shallow marine carbonate environments. Andros Island, Bahamas is an ideal location to examine the validity of Holocene conceptual models, where geologically young (Late Pleistocene) limestones can be studied immediately adjacent to their well-documented modern equivalents. For this study, two 3D ground-penetrating radar (GPR) datasets (200 MHz and 400 MHz) were collected at a schoolyard in northwest Andros. These surveys reveal the geometries and internal characteristics of a peloidal-oolitic sand wave and tidal channel in unprecedented detail. These two prominent features are underlain by low-energy lagoonal wackestones and packstones, and are bordered laterally to the northwest by wackestones-packstones intermixed with thin sheets of peloidaloolitic grainstone. A deeper radar surface is observed at approximately 6 m depth dipping gently to the west, and is interpreted to be a karstified exposure surface delineating the base of a complete depositional sequence. Interpretation of the 3D radar volumes is enhanced and constrained by data from three cores drilled through the crest and toe of the sand wave, and through the tidal channel. This study is the first of its kind to capture the complex heterogeneity of a carbonate depositional package in three dimensions, where various depositional environments, sedimentary structures, and textures (mudstone to grainstone) have been preserved within a small volume.The results from this study suggest that the degree of vertical and lateral heterogeneity in preserved carbonate successions is often more complex than what can be observed in modern depositional environments, where sediments can generally only be observed in two dimensions, at an instant in time. Data from this study demonstrate the value of using two overlapping GPR datasets at differing resolutions to image the internal characteristics of a complete carbonate depositional package in three dimensions. From these datasets, a depositional model similar to other Holocene and Pleistocene carbonate depositional models is derived.

A multi-scale high-resolution geophysical and geological study was conducted in the Sevier Desert, central Utah, found within the Colorado Plateau-Basin and Range Transition Zone. The region is marked by with Quaternary volcanics and faulting as young as 660 yr B.P., with many fault scarps thought to have the potential for 7+ magnitude earthquakes. Three locations within the Sevier Desert which represent three different tectonic expressions of possible faulting at the surface were selected. These include a location found within surface sedimentation, a location with surface sedimentation and sub-surface basalts and a location with basalts, at the surface with very limited sedimentation. A suite of geophysical data were obtained including the use of P-wave, SH-wave, ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Auger holes, microprobe glass analysis, and mapping information were also completed in order to constrain and gain a more complete understanding of the sub-surface structure. These data were used to determine if there are sub-surface expressions of the possible surface scarps and if all the faults within the fault zone have the same structural style. The possible surface fault expressions were found to be connected to sub-surface fault expressions but with differing results within both sediments and basalts. Our data show that a multi-scale approach is needed to obtain a complete view of tectonic activity. The area faulting in the Sevier Desert penetrates at depth involving multiple complex styles that include some faulting that cuts recent lava flows and some that do not. The evidence also indicates that in at least some area faulting was episodic and others may be single events having implications on level of activity and hazard.

Near field imaging using microwave in medical applications has gain much attention recently as various researches show its high ability and accuracy in illuminating object comparing to the well-known screening tools such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), digital mammography, ultrasound etc. This has encourage and motivate scientists continue to exploit the potential of microwave imaging so that a better and more powerful sensing tools can be developed. This thesis documents the development of antenna design for microwave imaging application such as breast cancer detection. The application is similar to the concept of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) but operating at higher frequency band. In these systems a short pulse is transmitted from an antenna to the medium and the backscattered response is investigated for diagnose. In order to accommodate such a short pulse, a very wideband antenna with a minimal internal reflection is required. Printed monopole and planar metal plate antenna is implemented to achieve the necessary operating wide bandwidth. The development of new compact printed planar metal plate ultra wide bandwidth antenna is presented. A generalized parametric study is carried out using two well-known software packages to achieve optimum antenna performance. The Prototype antennas are tested and analysed experimentally, in which a reasonable agreement was achieved with the simulations. The antennas present an excellent relative wide bandwidth of 67% with acceptable range of power gain between 3.5 to 7 dBi. A new compact size air-dielectric microstrip patch-antenna designs proposed for breast cancer detection are presented. The antennas consist of a radiating patch mounted on two vertical plates, fed by coaxial cable. The antennas show a wide bandwidth that were verified by the simulations and also confirmed experimentally. The prototype antennas show excellent performance in terms the input impedance and radiation performance over the target range bandwidth from 4 GHz to 8 GHz. A mono-static model with a homogeneous dielectric box having similar properties to human tissue is used to study the interaction of the antenna with tissue. The numerical results in terms the matching required of new optimised antennas were promising. An experimental setup of sensor array for early-stage breast-cancer detection is developed. The arrangement of two elements separated by short distance that confined equivalent medium of breast tissues were modelled and implemented. The operation performances due to several orientations of the antennas locations were performed to determine the sensitivity limits with and without small size equivalent cancer cells model. In addition, a resistively loaded bow tie antenna, intended for applications in breast cancer detection, is adaptively modified through modelling and genetic optimisation is presented. The required wideband operating characteristic is achieved through manipulating the resistive loading of the antenna structure, the number of wires, and their angular separation within the equivalent wire assembly. The results show an acceptable impedance bandwidth of 100.75 %, with a VSWR < 2, over the interval from 3.3 GHz to 10.0 GHz. Feasibility studies were made on the antenna sensitivity for operation in a tissue equivalent dielectric medium. The simulated and measured results are all in close agreement.