Influences of Moisture Content in Geoelectric Monitoring of Underground Oil Contamination

Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES) were carried out on a long profile close to the Petrobrazi Refinery (Romania) in order to evaluate geophysical possibilities of monitoring the oil-contaminated plume. The profile was located almost perpendicular to the strike direction of the contaminated plume (NW-SE). The first geoelectric campaign was made in a dry period (June 2007) and the second one in a wet period (November 2007). The interpretation of apparent resistivity sections was made considering several 1D models. In spite of the influences on the field measurements of the climatic conditions (rapid changes from hot & dry to wet conditions) the geoelectrical monitoring of the oil contamination plume was still possible.