High resolution electrical monitoring of fluid flow through the unsaturated zone of a sandstone aquifer

The unsaturated zone is very important because it influences recharge to the underlying aquifer and controls the transfer of pollutants to it. The typical methods by which the unsaturated zone has been studied are tensiometer and neutron probe field measurements. However these methods are invasive, laborious, time-consuming and do not provide spatially continuous information. Surface geophysics goes some way to eliminating these disadvantages. The aims of this work are to test the usefulness of surface high resolution electrical tomography in mapping the 3D movement of water in the unsaturated zone and to provide further understanding of the processes involved in the unsaturated zone flow.