Advancing Permafrost Monitoring With Autonomous Electrical Resistivity Tomography (A‐ERT): Low‐Cost Instrumentation and Open‐Source Data Processing Tool

Farzamian, M.; Blanchy, G.; McLachlan, P.; Vieira, G.; Esteves, M.; de Pablo, M. A.; Triantafilis, J.; Lippmann, E.; Hauck, C.

doi:10.1029/2023gl105770

Geophysical Research Letters

2024

DOI: 10.1029/2023gl105770

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Advancing Permafrost Monitoring With Autonomous Electrical Resistivity Tomography (A‐ERT): Low‐Cost Instrumentation and Open‐Source Data Processing Tool

M. Farzamian,

G. Blanchy,

P. McLachlan

et al.

Abstract: Permafrost is a widespread phenomenon in the cold regions of the globe and is under‐represented in global monitoring networks. This study presents a novel low‐cost, low‐power, and robust Autonomous Electrical Resistivity Tomography (A‐ERT) monitoring system and open‐source processing tools for permafrost monitoring. The processing workflow incorporates diagnostic and filtering tools and utilizes open‐source software, ResIPy, for data inversion. The workflow facilitates quick and efficient extraction of key inf… Show more

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Cited by 2 publications

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Developments in Permafrost Science and Engineering in Response to Climate Warming in Circumpolar and High Mountain Regions, 2019–2024

Burn,

Bartsch,

Chakraborty

et al. 2024

Permafrost & Periglacial

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Research in geocryology is currently principally concerned with the effects of climate change on permafrost terrain. The motivations for most of the research are (1) quantification of the anticipated net emissions of CO2 and CH4 from warming and thaw of near‐surface permafrost and (2) mitigation of effects on infrastructure of such warming and thaw. Some of the effects, such as increases in ground temperature or active‐layer thickness, have been observed for several decades. Landforms that are sensitive to creep deformation are moving more quickly as a result, and Rock Glacier Velocity is now part of the Essential Climate Variable Permafrost of the Global Climate Observing System. Other effects, for example, the occurrence of physical disturbances associated with thawing permafrost, particularly the development of thaw slumps, have noticeably increased since 2010. Still, others, such as erosion of sedimentary permafrost coasts, have accelerated. Geochemical effects in groundwater from trace elements, including contaminants, and those that issue from the release of sediment particles during mass wasting have become evident since 2020. Net release of CO2 and CH4 from thawing permafrost is anticipated within two decades and, worldwide, may reach emissions that are equivalent to a large industrial economy. The most immediate local concerns are for waste disposal pits that were constructed on the premise that permafrost would be an effective and permanent containment medium. This assumption is no longer valid at many contaminated sites. The role of ground ice in conditioning responses to changes in the thermal or hydrological regimes of permafrost has re‐emphasized the importance of regional conditions, particularly landscape history, when applying research results to practical problems.

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Developments in Permafrost Science and Engineering in Response to Climate Warming in Circumpolar and High Mountain Regions, 2019–2024

Burn,

Bartsch,

Chakraborty

et al. 2024

Permafrost & Periglacial

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show abstract

Employing automated electrical resistivity tomography for detecting short- and long-term changes in permafrost and active-layer dynamics in the maritime Antarctic

Farzamian,

Herring,

Vieira

et al. 2024

The Cryosphere

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Abstract. Repeated electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys can substantially advance the understanding of spatial and temporal freeze–thaw dynamics in remote regions, such as Antarctica, where the evolution of permafrost has been poorly investigated. To enable time-lapse ERT surveys in Antarctica, an automated ERT (A-ERT) system is required, as regular site visits are not feasible. In this context, we developed a robust A-ERT prototype and installed it at the Crater Lake CALM-S site on Deception Island, Antarctica, to collect quasi-continuous ERT measurements. We developed an automated data processing workflow to efficiently filter and invert the A-ERT datasets and extract the key information required for a detailed investigation of permafrost and active-layer dynamics. In this paper, we report on the results of two complete year-round A-ERT datasets collected in 2010 and 2019 at the Crater Lake CALM-S site and compare them with available climate and borehole data. The A-ERT profile has a length of 9.5 m with an electrode spacing of 0.5 m, enabling a maximum investigation depth of approximately 2 m. Our detailed investigation of the A-ERT data and inverted results shows that the A-ERT system can detect the active-layer freezing and thawing events with high temporal resolution. The resistivity of the permafrost zone in 2019 is very similar to the values found in 2010, suggesting the stability of the permafrost over almost 1 decade at this site. The evolution of thaw depth exhibits a similar pattern in both years, with the active-layer thickness fluctuating between 0.20–0.35 m. However, a slight thinning of the active layer is evident in early 2019, compared to the equivalent period in 2010. These findings show that A-ERT datasets, combined with the new processing workflow that we developed, are an effective tool for studying permafrost and active-layer dynamics with very high resolution and minimal environmental disturbance. The ability of the A-ERT setup to monitor the spatiotemporal progression of thaw depth in two dimensions, and potentially in three dimensions, and to detect brief surficial refreezing and thawing of the active layer reveals the significance of the automatic ERT monitoring system to record continuous resistivity changes. An A-ERT monitoring setup with a longer profile length can investigate greater depths, offering effective monitoring at sites where boreholes are costly and invasive techniques are unsuitable. This shows that the A-ERT setup described in this paper can be a significant addition to the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) and the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) networks to further investigate the impact of fast-changing climate and extreme meteorological events on the upper soil horizons and to work towards establishing an early warning system for the consequences of climate change.

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Advancing Permafrost Monitoring With Autonomous Electrical Resistivity Tomography (A‐ERT): Low‐Cost Instrumentation and Open‐Source Data Processing Tool

Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

Developments in Permafrost Science and Engineering in Response to Climate Warming in Circumpolar and High Mountain Regions, 2019–2024

Developments in Permafrost Science and Engineering in Response to Climate Warming in Circumpolar and High Mountain Regions, 2019–2024

Employing automated electrical resistivity tomography for detecting short- and long-term changes in permafrost and active-layer dynamics in the maritime Antarctic

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