Satellite Microwave Radar Finds Buried Objects

[Gość: MICHAEL BLOOMBERG]

Satellite Microwave Radar Finds Buried Objects

LONDON (Reuters) - Microwave radar from satellites could be used to find
buried archaeological treasures, underground buildings and even mass graves.
Scientists at Ben Gurion University in Israel have shown that such radar can
see below the surface of dry ground and locate objects under tons of sand.

"Buried objects can be detected from airborne systems," Dan Blumberg, a
researcher at the university, told New Scientist magazine on Wednesday.

He and his colleague Julian Daniels provided proof of the theory by burying
squares of aluminum at varying depths in the Negev desert and using radar
sensing from an aircraft to detect them.

The researchers said their findings suggest that ancient river routes lie
under centuries of sand in the Sahara desert which could explain desert
oases.

"Mapping river channels buried in sandy areas can improve our understanding
of the geological and climatic history of the region," Daniels said.

The researchers are planning more studies with the longest possible
microwave length which is called P-band to find objects buried deeper in the
sand. So far they have delved only 40 centimeters (16 inches).

But they said the technique only works in very dry areas, about 15 percent
of the Earth's surface, because liquid can absorb the radiation.

"Blumberg hopes that as well as archaeological remains, the method will in
time be used to find fossils and geological structures," the magazine said,
adding that it could show underground buildings, pipes and mass graves.