Inference of ground surface temperature history from subsurface temperature data: Interpreting ensembles of borehole logs

Ground surface temperature histories (GSTHs) inferred from borehole temperaturedepth (T-z) data are often degraded, to a various extent, by random or systematic noise in theT-z data and in the measurements of thermophysical properties of the earth. To minimize the effects of noise, and hence improve the fidelity of the inferred GSTH, a plausible approach is to perform a simultaneous inversion, of theT-z logs in a region, or alternatively, to invert the individualT-z logs and then average the resulting GSTHs. Averaging and simultaneous inversion are conceptually different: whereas an averaging can always be peformed, a simultaneous inversion is predicated on the assumption of a common transient component of the GSTH in all theT-z logs. In this work we examine and compare the two approaches, using a time domain inverse formulation based on the method of least squares. We consider a set of scenarios: (a) multipleT-z logs from a single borehole, (b) multiple boreholes from a single site, (c) multiple boreholes in similar climatological settings, and (d) multiple boreholes in different climatological settings. We show that for (a), (b) and (c), averaging and simultaneous inversion yield nearly identical results. For boreholes in different settings, the assumption of a common transient GSTH may be invalid and averaging and simultaneous inversion give divergent results.     

Pre-Observational Evolution of Surface Temperature in Romania as Inferred from Borehole Temperature Measurements

Temperature data from nine boreholes in the Carpathian orogen in Romania were used to obtain information on the ground surface temperature history (GSTH) in the last 250?years. The temperature measurements were taken with a thermistor probe (sensitivity in the 10 mK range) using the stop-and-go technique, at 10 m intervals, in the depth range of 20–580?m. The least squares inverse modelling approach of Tarantola and Valette (J Geophys 50:159–170, 1982) was used to infer the GSTH. Long-term air temperature records available from the Romanian weather station network were used as a comparison term for the first 100–150?years of the GSTH, and as a forcing function in a POM-SAT model that combines borehole temperature profiles (BTPs) and meteorological time series (surface air temperature, SAT) to produce information on the so-called pre-observational mean (POM). Results from a global circulation model for the Romanian area are incorporated in the discussion as well.     

Climate Change in the Urals,Russia, Inferred from Borehole Temperature Data

Borehole temperatures in the central and south Urals were analysed for the past ground surface temperature (GST) signal. 31 highquality temperature logs were selected for this purpose and inverted with algorithms based on the generalised least squares theory. The signal to noise ratio was improved by averaging the results of individual borehole inversions. No distinct regional trends were found in the studied region except for some indications of more pronounced warming in the south. The mean GST history (GSTH) was characterised by cooling down to –0.6 °C in the 18th century and subsequent warming to 0.5 °C above the longterm mean at the beginning of this century, and to 1 – 1.5 °C by 1980. The stability of the mean GSTH was tested in dependence on the number of holes used for the averaging. It showed that any subset of 15 holes yielded a GSTH similar to that obtained from the whole set. A surface air temperature (SAT) time series comprising the period 1832 – 1989 was combined from 17 meteorological records. Its least squares warming rate of 1.1 °C per 100 years is somewhat higher than that of the GST (0.7 – 0.8°C/100 years) in the same period.     

Ground surface temperature history in southern Canada: Temperatures at the base of the Laurentide ice sheet and during the Holocene

We use temperature profiles from 7 deep (≈ 2000 m) boreholes located in southern Canada to infer ground surface temperature histories (GSTH) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Holocene. Visual inspection of the heat flow and of the reduced temperature depth profiles reveals significant regional differences with some sites showing conspicuous signs of post glacial warming, and other indicating only very small changes in ground surface temperature. These differences are confirmed by the inversions of the temperature profiles. The most prominent variations in GST are found at the Sudbury, Ontario, sites where the present ground surface temperature is high. With the exception of Sept-Iles, Quebec, the other sites only show moderate or no variation in GST. For all the sites, except possibly Sept-Iles, temperatures at the base of the ice sheet during the LGM were at or slightly below the melting point of ice. Temperatures might have been lower, a few degrees below 0 °C, at Sept-Iles. These results are consistent with field observations and model predictions suggesting high velocity basal flows in the ice sheet above the studied regions. These new data on basal temperatures will provide better quantitative constraints on glacier flow dynamics. The inversions give a chronology for the retreat of the ice sheet comparable to other proxies. Inversion and direct modeling show that, following the ice retreat, there was a warm period between 2 and 5 ka with temperatures 1–2 K higher than present. The inversion yields a time for this episode 1–2 kyr more recent than that inferred by other proxies for the Holocene climate optimum (HCO).     

Ground Surface Warming History in Northern Canada Inferred from Inversions of Temperature Logs and Comparison with Other Proxy Climate Reconstructions

— Well temperature logs from 61 sites located in discontinuous and continuous permafrost regions of northern Canada are analyzed. The method of functional space inversion (FSI) is applied to the set of precise temperature logs from wells located between 60 ° and 82 °N. There is strong evidence of extensive ground surface temperature (GST) warming beginning in the late 18^th century and lasting until the 20^th century. This was preceded by a lengthy period of cooling. The approximate average increase of the surface temperature of Canadian Arctic, based on all individual GST histories, is > 1.3 °C for the last 200 years. Simultaneous inversion of all well temperature data suggests an even higher warming (approximately 2 °C). There has been no strong south-to-north gradient in the ground warming magnitude when northern Canadian data are compared with eastern and central Canadian data south of 60 °N which also shows warming close to 2 °C. In Alaska, warming of some 2 °C has been restricted mainly to the 20^th century. In general, however, a high warming magnitude is common for most of Canada and Alaska for the previous century. The averaged GST history (GSTH) for the Canadian Arctic is calibrated with and compares visually with a variety of recently published regional and hemispheric proxy climate reconstructions. These show that GST warming derived from well temperature logs is generally higher than one shown by other proxy (mainly tree-ring reconstructions).Received April, 2003     

CLIMATE HISTORY INFERRED FROM BOREHOLE TEMPERATURES, DATA FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The knowledge of the present-day underground temperatures may be important in the assessments of the past climate change. The method of inversion of the temperature-depth records into the ground surface temperature history is briefly introduced by showing an example of synthetic data and illustrated by a review of existing results obtained from the inversion of temperature logs measured in holes in the Czech Republic. Underground temperatures observed in holes of the depth of at least 1000–1500 m seem to confirm the preinstrumental climate pattern of the past several thousand years. Most of shallower temperature records (500–800 m) revealed general warming of climate followed the Little Ice Age of the 17–18th centuries and a pronounced increase of the soil temperatures by at least 1 K since the beginning of this century.     

大斜度井和水平井井地三维电阻率数值模拟和联合反演

井地电阻率成像法利用井套管作电流源向井下供入大功率直流电流,在地表测量由地下介质的电性变化形成的电位分布,通过反演可得到地下介质的电阻率分布.针对大斜度井和水平井开展井地三维电阻率数值模拟和反演研究,对油田注水及压裂效果监测具有重要意义.基于井地电阻率成像法原理,采用有限差分法和不完全切勒斯基共轭梯度法进行了三维正演模拟,研究了大斜度井和水平井的井地电位响应特征.提出了采用层状约束阻尼最小二乘法由浅到深地进行大斜度井和水平井的多层联合反演,并对实际水平井井地电位各个层段数据进行了三维反演.模拟结果表明,倾斜线源和水平线源会对地面电位响应产生明显影响,在反演中需要考虑线源形态.实际水平井井地电位反演成像表明,考虑倾斜线源或者水平线源的联合反演得到了准确的水平井三维注水层成像图,得出注水层的真电阻率分布,能够判断注水运移方向.     

Interactive 3D forward modeling of total field surface and three-component borehole magnetic data for the Daye iron-ore deposit (Central China)

The ground magnetic response of deep ore bodies in the Daye iron-ore deposit is relatively weak, and sometimes concealed by the strong magnetic background of shallower sources. Apart from the low-quality ground magnetic data, another critical problem for reconstructing the deep skarn-type ore bodies is developing a versatile inversion scheme that can simultaneously resolve 3D sources with arbitrary shapes. In this case, we resort to interactive 3D forward modeling solution with the joint use of two data sets-total field surface and three-component borehole magnetic data. Joint inversion of the two data sets is expected to help resolve the ambiguity associated with either data set and greatly reduces the nonuniqueness of the magnetic inversion. Such nonuniqueness is especially severe when a 3-D distribution of magnetic susceptibility, instead of a simple body, is sought from the inversion.In this paper, we calculate the magnetic field on the surface and in the borehole caused by 3D arbitrarily-shaped bodies with the triple integral method. The complex 3D magnetic sources having arbitrary shapes are constructed with cross-sections, termination points and facets in our visualization technology. We specify, interactively and in a user-friendly environment, the outline of the sources in terms of geometric elements and their magnetic parameters. The method automatically fits the observations within a prescribed precision. If dissatisfied, the user can redefine the model parameters and proceed to a new inversion. The method's ability to interpret a complicated 3D geologic environment is demonstrated on synthetic models and real data profiles in the Daye iron-ore deposit in central China. The interactive forward modeling results in all tests demonstrate a good correlation of estimated magnetic sources with corresponding known geologic features.     

Climatic and environmental changes at southeastern coast of Lake Biwa over past 3000 years, inferred from borehole temperature data

In order to infer past climatic change in central Japan, we measured temperatures in a borehole at the Karasuma site, on the southeastern coast of Lake Biwa, and reconstructed sediment surface temperature history during the last 3000 years. The reconstructed temperature history shows apparent Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age, and contemporary temperature warming. However, the large amplitude of the temperature changes up to 4-5 K cannot be explained by past climatic change only, suggesting that there was some other cause of the larger amplitude temperature changes. The onsets of temperature decrease in the late 12th century a.d. and temperature increase in the mid 17th century a.d. appear to coincide with occurrences of two destructive earthquakes (1185 and 1662 a.d.) that caused water level changes of Lake Biwa. It suggests that the reconstructed sediment surface temperature history reflects the environmental change due to tectonically induced water level changes of the lake. If the annual mean of the ground surface temperature was higher than that of the bottom water temperature in a shallow part of the lake, which is consistent with the present-day data, the large amplitude of the sediment surface temperature change may be attributed to a combined effect of past climatic and environmental changes. Thus, we suggest that the borehole temperature at the Karasuma site preserves information not only on past climate changes but also on environmental changes due to tectonically induced water level changes.     

Interpretation of borehole magnetometer data for the detection and characterisation of unexploded bombs

Unexploded war-time bombs (UXB) can be found at the ground surface or buried at depths of up to 20 m, where surface-based detection methods become ineffective due to signal weakness and interference. A total-field borehole magnetometer can penetrate to such depths and collect relatively quiet data. However, conventional interpretation techniques suffer from the inherent non-uniqueness in the borehole dimension. In this paper, a constrained optimisation method is utilised for the interpretation of total-field borehole magnetometer data for the detection of deeply buried unexploded bombs. The major advantage over conventional techniques comes from the analytically-derived constraints imposed on the parameter vector by excluding non-geosensible results from consideration and hence reducing the non-uniqueness to a minimal level. A depth dependant objective function is defined to minimise the interference and measurement errors. A test site has been developed for evaluation using real world data. The interpretation results demonstrate its superior capability in handling real-world problems with high non-uniqueness. Furthermore, this method provides a way to estimate the moment strength without knowing the exact position. Together with the modelled signature data for different objects, characterisation of a particular bomb is possible from the inversion of a single total-field borehole profile.     

Two-Dimensional Magnetotelluric Modelling of Ore Deposits: Improvements in Model Constraints by Inclusion of Borehole Measurements

A combination of magnetotelluric (MT) measurements on the surface and in boreholes (without metal casing) can be expected to enhance resolution and reduce the ambiguity in models of electrical resistivity derived from MT surface measurements alone. In order to quantify potential improvement in inversion models and to aid design of electromagnetic (EM) borehole sensors, we considered two synthetic 2D models containing ore bodies down to 3000 m depth (the first with two dipping conductors in resistive crystalline host rock and the second with three mineralisation zones in a sedimentary succession exhibiting only moderate resistivity contrasts). We computed 2D inversion models from the forward responses based on combinations of surface impedance measurements and borehole measurements such as (1) skin-effect transfer functions relating horizontal magnetic fields at depth to those on the surface, (2) vertical magnetic transfer functions relating vertical magnetic fields at depth to horizontal magnetic fields on the surface and (3) vertical electric transfer functions relating vertical electric fields at depth to horizontal magnetic fields on the surface. Whereas skin-effect transfer functions are sensitive to the resistivity of the background medium and 2D anomalies, the vertical magnetic and electric field transfer functions have the disadvantage that they are comparatively insensitive to the resistivity of the layered background medium. This insensitivity introduces convergence problems in the inversion of data from structures with strong 2D resistivity contrasts. Hence, we adjusted the inversion approach to a three-step procedure, where (1) an initial inversion model is computed from surface impedance measurements, (2) this inversion model from surface impedances is used as the initial model for a joint inversion of surface impedances and skin-effect transfer functions and (3) the joint inversion model derived from the surface impedances and skin-effect transfer functions is used as the initial model for the inversion of the surface impedances, skin-effect transfer functions and vertical magnetic and electric transfer functions. For both synthetic examples, the inversion models resulting from surface and borehole measurements have higher similarity to the true models than models computed exclusively from surface measurements. However, the most prominent improvements were obtained for the first example, in which a deep small-sized ore body is more easily distinguished from a shallow main ore body penetrated by a borehole and the extent of the shadow zone (a conductive artefact) underneath the main conductor is strongly reduced. Formal model error and resolution analysis demonstrated that predominantly the skin-effect transfer functions improve model resolution at depth below the sensors and at distance of \(\sim \) 300–1000 m laterally off a borehole, whereas the vertical electric and magnetic transfer functions improve resolution along the borehole and in its immediate vicinity. Furthermore, we studied the signal levels at depth and provided specifications of borehole magnetic and electric field sensors to be developed in a future project. Our results suggest that three-component SQUID and fluxgate magnetometers should be developed to facilitate borehole MT measurements at signal frequencies above and below 1 Hz, respectively.     

Use of temperature profiles and stable isotopes to trace flow lines: Nagaoka area, Japan

In this study, we use borehole temperature data and stable isotopes to delineate the flow system and estimate the effect of urbanization in the Nagaoka area of Japan. Temperature profiles were measured four times in observation wells during the period 2000-2001 and compared with those measured in the same wells during the period 1977-1983 (Taniguchi 1986). Water was sampled in both observation and pumping wells during the same period. The temporal and spatial variability in temperature indicate clearly the effect of urban warming and heavy pumping on the ground water system. Urban warming caused higher temperatures recently as compared to the older values, and pumping caused induced recharge from the river to the ground water. The stable isotope data show the ground water flow system is divided into shallow, intermediate, and deep systems, and that land use and infiltration rate are affecting the shallow flow system.     

A New Rapid Method for Measuring the Vertical Head Profile

This study describes a new technique for measuring the head profile in a geologic formation. The technique provides rapid, low cost information on the depth of water‐producing zones and aquitards in heterogeneous aquifers, yielding estimates of hydraulic heads in each zone while identifying any potential for cross contamination between zones. The measurements can be performed in a typical borehole in just a few hours. The procedure uses both the continuous transmissivity profile obtained by the installation (eversion) of a flexible borehole liner into an open borehole and the subsequent removal (inversion) of the same liner from the borehole. The method is possible because of the continuous transmissivity profile (T profile described by Keller et al. 2014) obtained by measuring the rate of liner eversion under a constant driving head. The hydraulic heads of producing zones are measured using the reverse head profile (RHP) method (patent no. 9,008,971) based on a stepwise inversion of the borehole liner. As each interval of the borehole is uncovered by inversion of the liner, the head beneath the liner is allowed to equilibrate to a steady‐state value. The individual hydraulic heads contributing to each measurement are calculated using the measured transmissivity for each zone. Application of the RHP method to a sedimentary bedrock borehole in New Jersey verified that it reproduced the head distribution obtained the same day in the same borehole instrumented with a multilevel sampling system.     

A new analytical solution for assessing climate change impacts on subsurface temperature

Groundwater temperature is an important water quality parameter that affects species distributions in subsurface and surface environments. To investigate the response of subsurface temperature to atmospheric climate change, an analytical solution is derived for a one‐dimensional, transient conduction–advection equation and verified with numerical methods using the finite element code SUTRA. The solution can be directly applied to forward model the impact of future climate change on subsurface temperature profiles or inversely applied to produce a surface temperature history from measured borehole profiles. The initial conditions are represented using superimposed linear and exponential functions, and the boundary condition is expressed as an exponential function. This solution expands on a classic solution in which the initial and boundary conditions were restricted to linear functions. The exponential functions allow more flexibility in matching climate model projections (boundary conditions) and measured temperature–depth profiles (initial conditions). For example, measured borehole temperature data from the Sendai Plain and Tokyo, Japan, were used to demonstrate the improved accuracy of the exponential function for replicating temperature–depth profiles. Also, the improved accuracy of the exponential boundary condition was demonstrated using air temperature anomaly data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These air temperature anomalies were then used to forward model the effect of surficial thermal perturbations in subsurface environments with significant groundwater flow. The simulation results indicate that recharge can accelerate shallow subsurface warming, whereas upward groundwater discharge can enhance deeper subsurface warming. Additionally, the simulation results demonstrate that future groundwater temperatures obtained from the proposed analytical solution can deviate significantly from those produced with the classic solution. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inversion of Gravity Data for Imaging of a Sediment-basement Interface: A Case Study in the Northwestern Part of Bangladesh

Gravity data collected by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh are processed and interpreted for imaging of a sediment-basement interface over the northwestern part of Bangladesh. The observed gravity data are processed for discriminating gravitational fields contributed subtly from the shallow basement topographic feature with the twelve nodal piecewise cubic polynomial–based finite–element approach. In spectral analysis, the presence of a widely spread shallow basement feature has been detected and interpretation of gravity data using a two-dimensional gravity inversion technique indicates that its depth ranges from 0.041 km to 0.570 km relative to ground surface. In the northern part of the study area, the inferred basement configuration shows a general depression of the basement in the Takurgaon-Panchagar and Lalmonirhat districts and reaches a maximum depth of about 0.570 km. In the Nilphamari district and its southwestern part, the basement occurs at the most shallow depth due to its upliftment. However, the estimated sediment-basement interface depths are compared with the borehole and other geophysical interpretative information and are found to be consistent.     

Evaluating the Use of In‐Well Heat Tracer Tests to Measure Borehole Flow Rates

Recent research has demonstrated the use of in‐well heat tracer tests monitored by a fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) system to characterize borehole flow conditions in open bedrock boreholes. However, the accuracy of borehole flow rates determined from in‐well heat tracer tests has not been evaluated. The purpose of the research presented here is to determine whether borehole flow rates obtained using DTS‐monitored in‐well heat tracer tests are reasonable, and to evaluate the range of flow rates measureable with this method. To accomplish this, borehole flow rates measured using in‐well heat tracer tests are compared to borehole flow rates measured in the same boreholes using an impeller or heat pulse flowmeter. A comparison of flow rates measured using in‐well heat tracer tests to flow rates measured with an impeller flowmeter under the same conditions showed good agreement. A comparison of in‐well heat tracer test flow rate measurements to previously‐collected heat pulse flowmeter measurements indicates that the heat tracer test results produced borehole flow rates and flow profiles similar to those measured with the heat pulse flowmeter. The results of this study indicate that borehole flow rates determined from DTS‐monitored in‐well heat tracer tests are reasonable estimates of actual borehole flow rates. In addition, the range of borehole flow rates measurable by in‐well heat tracer tests spans from less than 10^?1 m/min to approximately 10¹ m/min, overlapping the ranges typically measurable with an impeller flowmeter or a heat pulse flowmeter, making in‐well heat tracer testing a versatile borehole flow logging tool.     

Inversion of waveforms from. Xiangtang borehole seismic array for soil dynamic property

In order to understand the site soil response of the Xiangtang borehole seismic array under real strong ground motion, reveal the site response, verify the technique of borehole exploration, and improve the precision of in-situ test and laboratory test, this paper presents a new approach, which is composed of two methods. One is the layered site seismic response method, whose layer transform matrix is always real. The other is a global-local optimization technique, which uses genetic algorithm (GA)-simplex method. An inversion of multi-component waveforms of P, SV and SH wave is carried out simultaneously. By inverting the records of three moderate and small earthquakes obtained from the Xiangtang borehole array (2# ) site, the soil dynamic characteristic parameters, including P velocity, damping ratio and frequency-dependent coefficient b, which has not been given in previous literatures, are calculated. The results show that the soil S wave velocity of the Xiangtang 2# borehole is generally greater than that obtained from the 1994 in-situ test, and is close to the velocity of the 3# borehole, which is more than 200 m away from the 2# borehole. Meanwhile, perceptible soil nonlinear behavior under peak ground motion of about 60×10-2m/s2 is detected by the inversion analysis. The presented method can be used for studying the soil response of other borehole array sites.     

Seismic observations in the DPRI 1800 m borehole drilled into the Nojima Fault zone, south-west Japan

Abstract Seismometers were installed at three depths in the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University (DPRI) 1800 m borehole drilled into the Nojima Fault zone, southwest Japan. The waveforms recorded by these seismometers are rather simple compared with those recorded at the DPRI 800 m borehole or on the ground surface. These data should be well suited for detecting fault zone-trapped waves and estimating the fault zone structure and its temporal variation related to the healing process of the ruptured fault. Typical waveforms trapped in the fault zone were observed by a surface seismographic array across the Nojima Fault just after the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake (Kobe earthquake). Among the wave data recorded in the DPRI 1800 m borehole, however, clear evidences of fault zone-trapped waves have not yet been found, and further studies are continuing. The present study outlines the observation system in the DPRI 1800 m borehole, which will make it easier to access and analyze the borehole data.     

中国大陆科学钻探靶区深部温度预测

依据中国大陆科学钻探(CCSD)两口先导孔中地热测量和岩石样品热物性参数,对5000m深钻的可能钻遇温度进行了预测.先导孔中地温梯度介于1-26℃/km;岩石热导率变化为2.64-8.81W/(m@K),平均(3.4±1.26)W/(m@K);实测热流值为76-80mW/m2;30块岩石样品放射性生热率变化为(0.0-2.17)μW/m3,450m深度以上层平均(0.76±0.5)μW/m3,以下层段平均(0.48±0.2)μW/m3,生热率随深度递减,但变化趋势难以明确判定.分别对热流和热导率取上、下限,采用不同的生热率随深度的分布函数,区分考虑或不考虑热导率的温度相关性,分别计算出5000m深度内可能的温度分布剖面.计算结果表明,超深井于5000m垂直深度上的温度将达到110-140℃,2000m深度的探井钻遇温度将介于54-64℃.此外,考虑热导率的温度效应后预测的温度一般高于未考虑热导率温度效应5-8℃.     

Recent Climate Warming: Surface Air Temperature Series and Geothermal Evidence

Long-term (1961 – 1996) meteorological air temperature series together with the reconstructed ground surface temperature histories, obtained by inverting borehole temperature-depth profiles, were used to project regional patterns of the recent (climate) warming rate on the territory of the Czech Republic. The characteristic magnitude of the warming rate of 0.02 –0.03 K/yr was confirmed by the results of several years of monitoring the temperature in two experimental boreholes. The monitoring of shallow temperatures at depths of about 30 –40 m, i.e. below the reach of the seasonal surface temperature variations, can serve as an alternative tool of direct quantitative assessment of the present warming rate. The data also seem to sustain a potential man-made component contributing to the more pronounced recent warming rate observed in the areas of large agglomeration.