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Tracing subsurface oil pollution leakage using 2D electrical resistivity tomography

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Abstract

This study provides an evaluation of the subsurface oil contaminant flow in an oil production field at the Wadi Feiran fan, along the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. The 2D electrical resistivity tomography technique has been applied along four profiles surrounding the spill location of oil dump site. Theoretical soil resistivity response versus fluid resistivity for different cation exchange capacity values has been studied. Then, a physical model for the current situation of flowing the oil over the groundwater (sea invaded water) of saturated fluvial sediments has been introduced. It was supposed that the crude oil has higher resistivity values and turned to be conductive far away from the oil spill source under the effect of microbial biodegradation. Such conditions of contaminated distribution and its resistivity values have been considered during the inversion and interpretation of the acquired data sets. The processed 2D resistivity profiles reveal that oil plumes are accumulated in the seawater invasion direction, whereas it has low signatures along the profiles parallel to the shore line.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully thank the Geoelectricity and Geothermic Lab. at NRIAG, Egypt for helping to carry out the field work. The first author appreciates the College of Science Research Center at King Saud University for partially supporting this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohamed Metwaly, Mohamed Ahmed Khalil & El-Said Al-Sayed

  2. Geology and Geophysics Department, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Metwaly

  3. Centro de Geofísica da Universidade de Lisboa-IDL, Campo Grande C8, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Mohamed Ahmed Khalil

  4. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Abeer El-Kenawy

Authors
  1. Mohamed Metwaly
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  2. Mohamed Ahmed Khalil
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  3. El-Said Al-Sayed
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  4. Abeer El-Kenawy
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Correspondence to Mohamed Metwaly.

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Metwaly, M., Khalil, M.A., Al-Sayed, ES. et al. Tracing subsurface oil pollution leakage using 2D electrical resistivity tomography. Arab J Geosci 6, 3527–3533 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0600-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0600-z

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