Abstract
Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) represents a powerful tool for subsurface solute transport characterization since a full picture of the spatio-temporal evolution of the process can be obtained. However, the quantitative interpretation of tracer tests is difficult because of the uncertainty related to the geo-electrical inversion and the constitutive models linking geophysical and hydrological quantities. Here a new approach based on the Lagrangian formulation of transport and the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) data assimilation technique is applied to assess the spatial distribution of hydraulic conductivity K by incorporating time-lapse cross-hole ERT data. Under the assumption that the solute spreads as a passive tracer, for high Peclet numbers the spatial moments of the evolving plume are dominated by the spatial distribution of the hydraulic conductivity. The assimilation of the electrical conductivity 4D images allows updating of the hydrological state as well as the spatial distribution of K. Thus, delineation of the tracer plume and estimation of the local aquifer heterogeneity can be achieved at the same time by means of this interpretation of time-lapse electrical images from tracer tests.
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