Articles | Volume 19, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4141-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.Brief communication: Use of lightweight and low-cost steel net electrodes for electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys performed on coarse-blocky surface environments
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- Final revised paper (published on 02 Oct 2025)
- Preprint (discussion started on 19 Feb 2025)
Interactive discussion
Status: closed
Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor
| : Report abuse
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-405', Anonymous Referee #1, 11 May 2025
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AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Mirko Pavoni, 23 May 2025
- AC3: 'Reply on AC1', Mirko Pavoni, 14 Jun 2025
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AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Mirko Pavoni, 23 May 2025
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RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-405', Anonymous Referee #2, 26 May 2025
- AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Mirko Pavoni, 14 Jun 2025
Peer review completion
AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (further review by editor and referees) (18 Jun 2025) by Andreas Hördt

AR by Mirko Pavoni on behalf of the Authors (07 Jul 2025)
Author's response
Author's tracked changes
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ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (10 Jul 2025) by Andreas Hördt
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (15 Jul 2025)
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (28 Jul 2025)

ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (31 Jul 2025) by Andreas Hördt

AR by Mirko Pavoni on behalf of the Authors (04 Aug 2025)
Author's response
Author's tracked changes
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ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (08 Aug 2025) by Andreas Hördt

AR by Mirko Pavoni on behalf of the Authors (08 Aug 2025)
Author's response
Author's tracked changes
Manuscript
ED: Publish as is (11 Aug 2025) by Andreas Hördt
AR by Mirko Pavoni on behalf of the Authors (11 Aug 2025)
Author's response
Manuscript
Reviewer Recommendation and Comments for Manuscript egusphere-2025-405
Brief communication: Use of lightweight and low-cost steel net electrodes for electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys performed on coarse-blocky surface environments
Summary
The manuscript presents a study on a newly developed electrode design, i.e., stainless steel-net electrodes, which the authors propose for electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) measurements in coarse blocky environments. The electrodes facilitate and accelerate ERT surveys and are cheaper and lighter compared to conventional stainless-steel spike electrodes. The authors demonstrate that contact resistances and reciprocal errors are lower when using stainless-steel net electrodes compared to conventional stainless-steel spike electrodes. Correlations of apparent resistivity values between the two electrode types are high for an exemplary landslide deposit and an Italian rock glacier and slightly lower for a Swiss rock glacier. The inversion results are similar for both electrode types and successfully reconstruct the known internal structure of the landforms. The results are clearly presented and highlight the relevance of lightweight, easily deployable equipment in harsh alpine terrain with limited accessibility.
However, upon closer examination, the manuscript offers limited novelty and primarily reiterates concepts and methodologies previously presented, particularly in the study by Bast et al. (2024). One of the main concerns lies in the similarity between the figures of the two articles. The representations and analysis of the data are almost identical, with no substantial additions, enhancements or new interpretations. For instance, the authors could have included additional pseudosections to visualize the spatial consistency in the apparent resistivity readings as well as the position of the removed quadrupoles for the different electrode types. In my opinion, the results related to the application of stainless-steel net and textile electrodes could have been presented together in one publication, as the study sites are identical and the data analysis and structure is very similar.
To strengthen the manuscript, I recommend that the authors explore the usability of such stainless-steel net electrodes for induced polarization measurements, as suggested in the Discussion section. Such an investigation would offer a clear advancement over previous research. Another benefit highlighted by the authors consists in the increased durability of stainless-steel net electrodes compared to textile electrodes, which tend to oxidize more rapidly. Showing time lapse ERT data of e.g., hourly measurements could further underline advantages of the stainless-steel net electrodes and enhance the relevance of the article. Clearly, this would require considerable additional effort. Nonetheless, without any further developments compared to Bast et al. (2024) the study lacks substantial new data or insights that would justify its publication as an independent contribution to the field. Additionally, I would include a comparative analysis between net and textile electrodes to clearly demonstrate the advantages of the new design over both textile and traditional spike electrodes. I also suggest revising the Discussion section; vague terms such as “good contact resistances” should be replaced and the discussion points need to be better supported with relevant literature.
Taking these concerns along with a number of specific comments and technical corrections listed within the attached PDF into account, I recommend accepting this manuscript after major revisions.