Climate-induced warming increasingly leads to degradation of high-alpine permafrost. In order to develop early warning systems for imminent slope destabilization, knowledge about hydrological flow processes in the subsurface is urgently needed. Due to the fast dynamics associated with slope failures, non- or minimally invasive methods are required for inexpensive and timely characterization and monitoring of potential failure sites to allow in-time responses. These requirements can potentially be met by geophysical methods usually applied in near-surface geophysical settings, such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), ground-penetrating radar (GPR), various seismic methods, and self-potential (SP) measurements. While ERT and GPR have their primary uses in detecting lithological subsurface structure and liquid water/ice content variations, SP measurements are sensitive to active water flow in the subsurface. Combined, these methods provide huge potential to monitor the dynamic hydrological evolution of permafrost systems. However, while conceptually simple, the technical application of the SP method in high-alpine mountain regions is challenging, especially if spatially resolved information is required. We here report on the design, construction, and testing phase of a multi-electrode SP measurement system aimed at characterizing surface runoff and meltwater flow on the Schilthorn, Bernese Alps, Switzerland. Design requirements for a year-round measurement system are discussed; the hardware and software of the constructed system, as well as test measurements are presented, including detailed quality-assessment studies. On-site noise measurements and one laboratory experiment on freezing and thawing characteristics of the SP electrodes provide supporting information. It was found that a detailed quality assessment of the measured data is important for such challenging field site operations, requiring adapted measurement schemes to allow for the extraction of robust data in light of an environment highly contaminated by anthropogenic and natural noise components. Finally, possible short- and long-term improvements to the system are discussed and recommendations for future installations are developed.

中文翻译：

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冰冻圈环境中时空自电势测量的监视系统

气候引起的变暖越来越导致高寒多年冻土的退化。为了开发即将发生的边坡失稳预警系统，迫切需要有关地下水文流动过程的知识。由于与边坡破坏相关的快速动力学，需要非侵入性或微创方法来廉价，及时地表征和监测潜在破坏部位，以实现及时响应。这些要求可以通过通常应用于近地表地球物理环境中的地球物理方法来满足，例如电阻层析成像（ERT），探地雷达（GPR），各种地震方法和自势（SP）测量。尽管ERT和GPR在检测岩性地下结构和液态水/冰含量变化方面具有主要用途，SP测量对地下的活跃水流敏感。这些方法相结合，为监测多年冻土系统的动态水文演变提供了巨大的潜力。但是，尽管从概念上讲很简单，但SP方法在高高山山区的技术应用仍具有挑战性，特别是在需要空间解析信息的情况下。我们在此报告多电极SP测量系统的设计，建造和测试阶段，该系统旨在表征瑞士伯尔尼阿尔卑斯山Schilthorn的地表径流和融水流量。讨论了全年测量系统的设计要求；介绍了所构建系统的硬件和软件以及测试测量结果，包括详细的质量评估研究。现场噪声测量和SP电极冻结和解冻特性的一项实验室实验提供了支持信息。已经发现，对于这种具有挑战性的现场操作，对测量数据进行详细的质量评估很重要，需要适应性的测量方案，以便在受到人为和自然噪声成分严重污染的环境中提取可靠的数据。最后，讨论了系统可能的短期和长期改进，并为以后的安装提出了建议。要求采用合适的测量方案，以便在人为和自然噪声成分严重污染的环境中提取可靠的数据。最后，讨论了系统可能的短期和长期改进，并为以后的安装提出了建议。要求采用合适的测量方案，以便在人为和自然噪声成分严重污染的环境中提取可靠的数据。最后，讨论了系统可能的短期和长期改进，并为以后的安装提出了建议。