Ground-penetrating radar insight into a coastal aquifer: the freshwater lens of Borkum Island

Freshwater lenses within islands are an important resource for drinking water. The aim of the GPR investigation was to map the shape of the groundwater table and sedimentary structures on Borkum island as input parameters for hydrogeological simulation. In total, 20 km of constant offset (CO) radar profiles were measured with centre frequencies of 80 and 200 MHz. Wave velocities were determined by common midpoint (CMP) measurements and vertical radar profiling (VRP) in a monitoring well. The 80 MHz CO data show a clear reflection at the groundwater table, whereas the reflection is blurry and shifted to lower frequencies for the 200 MHz data. This is caused by the gradual increase of water content above the capillary fringe. The GPR-derived water tables are in good accordance with the observation of the monitoring wells in the area. In the centre of the island, the groundwater table is found up to 3.5 m above sea level, however it is lower towards the coast line. Some local depressions are observed in the region of dune valleys and around pumping stations of the local water supplier. GPR also reveals details within the sediments and highly-permeable aeolian sands can be distinguished from less-permeable marine sediments. A sharp horizontal reflection below the water table can be seen on many profiles and is identified as a hydraulically-tight silt loam layer by hand-drilled boreholes. Moreover, GPR data indicate scattered erosion channels in this layer that cause it to be an aquitard with some leakage. GPR provides a high resolution map of the groundwater table and insight into the stratigraphy of the sediments that are a valuable complementary information to the observation of monitoring wells.