Field and laboratory validation of ERT-detected subsurface heterogeneity at the meter scale

E. Bloem, A. Dathe, A. Nemes, P. Fernandez, H. K. French, M. Patterson, D. Gimenez

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Agriculture, industry, airport activities all have impact on the quality of soil and water. To improve risk assessment, monitoring, design and implementation of cost-effective preventive or mitigation measures and/or policies we require a better understanding of the underlying environmental processes. Spatial heterogeneity plays a critical role for describing water and solute transport processes in the unsaturated zone. Heterogeneous water flow in soils is complex and challenging to quantify due to changes in soil hydraulic properties across different spatial scales. We conducted an experiment involving different field and laboratory sensory techniques and measurements to examine 3D functional heterogeneity and its physical drivers in natural soil. We compare the spatial heterogeneity of the soil from ERT measurements at two scales with the observed spatial distribution of hydraulic properties calculated from soil samples and TDR data. ERT helped to visualize the heterogeneity of the studied system. Although at first the high resistive feature observed with ERT could not be explained by tensiometer and/or TDR data, there was a distinct difference in the retention curves inside and outside the feature, which creates difference in resistivity values. These observations help us to better understand the links between soil hydraulic properties and heterogeneous water flow.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication24th European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics
PublisherEuropean Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, EAGE
ISBN (Electronic)9789462822634
DOIs
StatePublished - 9 Sep 2018
Externally publishedYes
Event24th European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics - Porto, Portugal
Duration: 9 Sep 201813 Sep 2018

Publication series

Name24th European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics

Conference

Conference24th European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics
Country/TerritoryPortugal
CityPorto
Period9/09/1813/09/18

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology

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