2D automated electrical resistivity tomography (A-ERT) at Deception Island, Antarctica

In this context, a 2D automated electrical resistivity tomography (A-ERT) system was installed for the first time in Antarctica at Deception Island, associated to the existing Crater Lake site of the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring Network (CALM-S). This set-up aims to I) monitor subsurface freezing and thawing processes on a daily and seasonal basis and to map the spatial and temporal variability of thaw depth, and to II) study the impact of short-lived extreme meteorological events on active layer dynamics.

In addition, the feasibility of installing and running autonomous ERT monitoring stations in remote and extreme environments such as Antarctica was evaluated for the first time. Measurements were repeated at 4-hour intervals during a full year, enabling the detection of seasonal trends, as well as short-lived resistivity changes reflecting individual meteorological events. The latter is important to distinguish between (1) long-term climatic trends and (2) the impact of anomalous seasons on the ground thermal regime.