Abstract:

Submarine groundwater discharge connects coastal aquifers with marine ecosystems, but its spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability make it challenging to characterize. This seminar explores the application of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to investigate this process in coastal alluvial and karstic environments of the northwestern Mediterranean.
Three complementary approaches will be discussed: marine continuous resistivity profiling to investigate lithological changes, fresh groundwater distribution beneath the seabed, and seasonal variability; amphibious electrical resistivity tomography to explore the land–sea transition and hourly changes under microtidal conditions; and integration with complementary methods to examine the geological setting of potential discharge pathways.
Drawing on field examples and complementary hydrogeological observations, the seminar will discuss the capabilities and limitations of these methods, with particular attention to how geology, salinity, and spatial resolution influence the interpretation of results.