The Use of Textile Electrodes for Electrical Resistivity Tomography in Periglacial, Coarse Blocky Terrain: A Comparison With Conventional Steel Electrodes

Abstract

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is widely used to map, characterize, and monitor the ground in alpine and periglacial environments, where coarse blocky surfaces are often ubiquitous. ERT measurements typically use conventional steel electrodes in combination with a water‐soaked sponge. However, ensuring an optimum contact resistance between the electrodes and the ground to obtain high‐quality data is often challenging and requires considerable logistical, physical, and time commitment. To overcome this, we tested a promising sand‐filled, fist‐sized conductive textile electrode. We conducted ERT measurements using both steel and textile electrodes at a landslide and two rock glaciers in the European Alps with coarse blocky surfaces and performed statistical analyses to test the accuracy and precision of the proposed textile electrodes. Our results show that the textile electrodes can be used as an alternative to the conventional steel electrodes without limitations, as they ensure good galvanic contact with the ground and accurate resistivity measurements. The use of textile electrodes also resulted in lower contact resistances, less time invested, physical and logistical advantages, and reduced risk of injury. In the future, this will enable applications such as enhanced ERT monitoring and/or faster (quasi‐3D) imaging of the interior of entire landforms.