Migration of ground-penetrating radar data with a finite-element method that considers attenuation and dispersion

Abstract

Abstract We use a numerical model to study the effects of attenuation and dispersion upon the migration of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles. A finite-element method (FEM) is developed that incorporates attenuation and is used to generate synthetic GPR profiles with random noise. These profiles are then migrated with and without the attenuation term using our FEM codes. The misfit between the position of interfaces in the model and the position of corresponding interfaces in the migrated profile is greatly decreased when the attenuation term is considered in the migration process. The improvement in resolution results from the use of the group velocity rather than any phase velocity. Consequently, for dispersive media the attenuation term of high-frequency GPR waves cannot be ignored in migration.