Precipitation correction of airborne gamma-ray spectrometry data using monitoring profiles: methodology and case study

Variations of soil moisture content caused by precipitation often complicate the interpretation of airborne gamma-ray spectrometry data. This is particularly the case in repeated surveys designed to monitor the change of near surface abundances of radioactive elements or in large and time-consuming surveys. To counter this precipitation effect we propose a correction method based on repeated survey flights over a monitoring profile. Assuming that the weather and the soil conditions at the monitoring profile are representative for the survey area, the weather dependent effect of soil moisture can be observed and sufficiently corrected.