Application of geophysical investigation to landslide and soil characterization for precision agriculture

Geophysical techniques applied to the field of engineering geology and precision agriculture offers numerous advantages in the acquisition of different information on the subsoil without disturbing the environment and with the possibility of investigating larger areas compared to direct and punctual measurements. In recent years, research has moved towards the study of water content and the contribution that geophysics can bring. In the field of precision agriculture, knowing the volumetric water content (VWC) is essential for planning irrigation, in order to reduce waste and excessive consumption. In the field of geology, geophysical techniques are successfully used in the monitoring and characterization of slopes at risk of landslides. The main objective of this PhD thesis was to quantify the subsoil water content from geophysical data for both engineering geology (e.g., landslides) and precision agriculture. Thus, the first main goal of this PhD work was to identify how irrigation water moves during the plant’s growth cycle, from transplanting to harvesting. The second main objective of this PhD work was the quantify the soil water content from geophysical data as a proxy to understanding slope failure and triggering phenomena.