Visualizing Moisture Storage in Basin Lysimeters Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was utilized to evaluate soil moisture in two large (10m x 20m x 2m) basin lysimeters over a four-year period in Anchorage, Alaska. The lysimeters were intended to test the efficacy of two competing landfill cover designs, thus water balance information was collected over the entire experimental period. The first lysimeter contained a thin (0.5m) layer of compacted soil within its 2m depth and was planted with local grasses. The second lysimeter contained no compacted soil layer and was planted with deep-rooting woody vegetation to maximize moisture removal via evapotranspiration. After four years of observation, 291mm of moisture percolated through the compacted soil lysimeter compared to 201mm in the evapotranspiration lysimeter. This presentation describes the observed water balance results, discusses efficacy of utilizing compacted soils versus evapotranspiration as the primary means of minimizing infiltration into engineered soil systems, and demonstrates the use of ERT as a technique for visualizing soil moisture storage.