The detection of water leakage along its transportation network has important societal impacts, such as avoiding a large volume of water wasted along the waterways or preventing water-related chemical or physical surrounding media deterioration. Among the vast domain of destructive techniques, Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a common and efficient tool used for detection in many near-surface contexts, and it is particularly efficient in civil engineering cases, such as utility detection, due to its fine resolution and the ease of data acquisition. A peculiar form of signal enhancement appears in GPR profiles recorded over spheres and cylinders where velocity contrasts exist between the body’s material and the surrounding medium. We used this enhancement to detect potential water leakages in water pipes. After exhibiting the signal enhancement effect in a laboratory sandbox experiment using a spherical glass ball, we verified the results with numerical experiments with varied sphere and cylinder sizes and dielectric properties. We then investigated field and numerical experiments of GPR transects above a “real life” water-leaking PVC pipe. Our results show that the water cylinder and water infiltration bulb produced a characteristic signal that could be used for detecting water leakages along water pipes. The largest amplitude in the GPR signal is caused by a bottom pipe reflection enhanced by the water bulb and not by the top of the pipe. We stress the risk of miscalculating the pipe’s depth during velocity estimation when amplitude enhancement conditions are met. Beyond civil-engineering impacts, knowledge on signal amplification phenomena can help GPR data interpretations in sedimentology and hydrogeology studies.

Arctic regions are highly impacted by the global temperature rising and its consequences and influences on the thermo-hydro processes and their feedbacks. Theses processes are especially not very well understood in the context of river–permafrost interactions and permafrost degradation. This paper focuses on the thermal characterization of a river–valley system in a continuous permafrost area (Syrdakh, Yakutia, Eastern Siberia) that is subject to intense thawing, with major consequences on water resources and quality. We investigated this Yakutian area through two transects crossing the river using classical tools such as in–situ temperature measurements, direct active layer thickness estimations, unscrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery, heat transfer numerical experiments, Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR), and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT). Of these two transects, one was closely investigated with a long-term temperature time series from 2012 to 2018, while both of them were surveyed by geophysical and UAV data acquisition in 2017 and 2018. Thermodynamical numerical simulations were run based on the long-term temperature series and are in agreement with river thermal influence on permafrost and active layer extensions retrieved from GPR and ERT profiles. An electrical resistivity-temperature relationship highlights the predominant role of water in such a complicated system and paves the way to coupled thermo-hydro-geophysical modeling for understanding permafrost–river system evolution.

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) provides high-resolution, non-invasive insights into the subsurface, making it an essential tool for assessing climate change impacts and managing infrastructure in Arctic and sub-Arctic environments. This review examines GPR applications in mapping and characterizing cold-region features to enhance our understanding of the Critical Zone at high latitudes. Specifically, we focus on permafrost, including its active layer and embedded ice structures, as well as glaciers and front moraine, ice sheets, and snow cover. Furthermore, driven by advancements in miniaturization and energy efficiency, we extend our review to GPR-based subsurface exploration on the Moon and Mars, where environmental conditions and frozen geomorphological structures share similarities with terrestrial cold regions. Finally, we highlight the interconnection between hardware and software advancements and the expanding applications of GPR in cryospheric research.

In West Africa, the drinking water supply relies on the hard-rock aquifers. In Ivory Coast, the population growth along with the climate changes make drinking water resources highly vulnerable. The White Bandama upstream watershed in northern Ivory Coast is located on a fissured hard-rock aquifer and is poorly known, both in the geometry of the reservoirs and in the hydrogeological potential of the reserves it contains. Indeed, the heterogeneous subsurface in this region shows high variability in the hydraulic conductivity inducing difficulties in the hydrogeological exploration. The determination of the geometry and hydrodynamic properties of the aquifer are required for a sustainable management of this water resource and for a better choice of future well locations. This study presents a hydrogeophysical approach using the multifrequency electromagnetic device PROMIS^®, as well as lithology logs and geological information of a 30 × 30 km zone in the northwestern part of the White Bandama catchment. Our geophysical data are interpreted with 1D multi-layer models consistent with the discontinuities observed in lithology logs and the geology of the site. Results allow to precise the local thicknesses of the 3 main units of our study area down to 50 m, being from top to down, saprolite (which is often indured close to the surface), fissured-rock zone and rock substratum. Between the saprolite and the fissured zone, the main aquifer unit constitutes the interesting target for productive water wells. Its thickness ranges from 15 to 30 m. A detailed knowledge of the local aquifer geometry constitutes the first and crucial step before going further into a complete hydrogeological study.

Historical maps and archaeological surveys are combined to study colonial slavery, Cartography informs on slave quarter architecture and spatial segregation, Aerial imagery demonstrates the legacy of these quarters in the present-day landscape, Slave quarters’ detailed location on the map facilitates its archaeological survey.