Best practices for using electrical resistivity tomography to investigate permafrost.

Best practices for using electrical resistivity tomography to investigate permafrost

A recent study by Teddi Herring suggests ways to improve how Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) is used for permafrost and highlights recent advances in this approach. ERT is a technique that is incredibly useful for studying permafrost, enabling us to see how deep the permafrost layer is and identify areas with ice content.

There has been a 10-fold increase in publications of studies using ERT to analysis permafrost in the last 20 years, and though challenges remain, and there’s no single “best way” to do it yet, the study makes recommendations for conducting ERT surveys to maximize the utility of existing and future data.

Herring T,  Lewkowicz AG,  Hauck C, et al.  Best practices for using electrical resistivity tomography to investigate permafrost. Permafrost and Periglac Process.  2023; 34(4): 494-512. doi:10.1002/ppp.2207