Three-Dimensional Electromagnetic Modelling and Inversion from Theory to Application

The whole subject of three-dimensional (3-D) electromagnetic (EM) modelling and inversion has experienced a tremendous progress in the last decade. Accordingly there is an increased need for reviewing the recent, and not so recent, achievements in the field. In the first part of this review paper I consider the finite-difference, finite-element and integral equation approaches that are presently applied for the rigorous numerical solution of fully 3-D EM forward problems. I mention the merits and drawbacks of these approaches, and focus on the most essential aspects of numerical implementations, such as preconditioning and solving the resulting systems of linear equations. I refer to some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art, solvers that are today available for such important geophysical applications as induction logging, airborne and controlled-source EM, magnetotellurics, and global induction studies. Then, in the second part of the paper, I review some of the methods that are commonly used to solve 3-D EM inverse problems and analyse current implementations of the methods available. In particular, I also address the important aspects of nonlinear Newton-type optimisation techniques and computation of gradients and sensitivities associated with these problems.     

生物地球物理:地球物理方法在研究生物地球化学过程中的应用和发展

微生物广泛参与了其所处地质环境的物理和化学性质改造过程.监控微生物与地质介质之间相互作用的过程并了解其机制对近地面环境工程中土壤及地下水污染整治等实际应用有着至关重要的作用.地球物理勘测成像技术不仅能够在传统应用中测量和表征地表以下的物理特性变化,大量直接有效的证据表明这些方法还可以捕获孔隙介质中的生物地球化学变化的动态过程,包括监测微生物、微生物活动以及它们与矿物之间的相互作用.生物地球物理(Biogeophysics)作为勘探地球物理的一个新兴分支学科,包含了微生物学、生物地球科学以及地球物理勘测等多个学科,侧重于研究微生物与地质介质相互作用对地球物理场的影响.过去十几年在生物地球物理领域的研究充分表明和验证了地球物理勘测方法的独特优点(最小化侵入、时空连续及跨尺度运用),并为将传统勘测方法用于探索跨时间空间各尺度的地下生物地球化学动态过程提供了理论及实验依据.本篇综述将系统介绍生物地球物理学科的理论背景、发展和研究前沿.首先讨论微生物及其活动引起的孔隙介质中物理化学性质的变化.其次,将侧重于探讨微生物活动对包括地电法、电磁法、探地雷达以及地震法等不同地球物理场的响应.最后将讨论生物地球物理领域的机遇、挑战和潜在应用.     

Overview of Overland Satellite Rainfall Estimation for Hydro-Meteorological Applications

This paper reviews current techniques on rainfall estimation from satellite sensor observations. The sensors considered in this study are the Precipitation Radar (PR) and radiometer (TMI) onboard TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Missio) satellite, the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) onboard Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) platforms, and infrared (IR) sensors onboard geostationary satellites. We present the physical basis and mathematical formulation of a newly developed combined radar-radiometer (PR/TMI) retrieval for TRMM and its application for overland rain estimation. Subsequently we discuss the current state-of-the-art in overland passive microwave (TMI and SSM/I) rain estimation techniques, and outstanding issues associated with the inverse problem. The significance of lightning information in advancing high-frequency rainfall estimation from passive microwave-calibrated IR retrieval techniques is discussed on the basis of newly developed techniques. Finally, current approaches are presented on merging the infrequent passive microwave-based rainfall estimates with the high-frequency, but lower accuracy, rainfall fields derived from proxy parameters (e.g., lightning and IR). The paper provides useful insights on satellite rainfall estimation and discusses issues and applications.     

Modelling the global ocean tides: modern insights from FES2004

During the 1990s, a large number of new tidal atlases were developed, primarily to provide accurate tidal corrections for satellite altimetry applications. During this decade, the French tidal group (FTG), led by C. Le Provost, produced a series of finite element solutions (FES) tidal atlases, among which FES2004 is the latest release, computed from the tidal hydrodynamic equations and data assimilation. The aim of this paper is to review the state of the art of tidal modelling and the progress achieved during this past decade. The first sections summarise the general FTG approach to modelling the global tides. In the following sections, we introduce the FES2004 tidal atlas and validate the model against in situ and satellite data. We demonstrate the higher accuracy of the FES2004 release compared to earlier FES tidal atlases, and we recommend its use in tidal applications. The final section focuses on the new dissipation term added to the equations, which aims to account for the conversion of barotropic energy into internal tidal energy. There is a huge improvement in the hydrodynamic tidal solution and energy budget obtained when this term is taken into account.     

地球极区电离层对行星际激波的响应

本文就地球电离层对行星际激波的动力学响应进行三维全球数值模拟研究．背景行星际磁场为螺旋场,南北分量为零;初始电离层由Ⅰ区场向电流和相应的晨昏电场所主导;行星际激波沿日地连线方向撞击地球．模拟结果表明,在激波的作用下,电离层Ⅰ区电流系统向子夜方向运动,在向阳侧相继出现与原Ⅰ区电流反向的异常场向电流对和同向的新生Ⅰ区电流对．该异常场向电流对在极盖区形成瞬间昏晨电场,尾随原Ⅰ区电流向夜侧方向漂移直至湮没．与此同时,新生的Ⅰ区电流不断增强并向夜侧和赤道方向延伸,最终取代原Ⅰ区电流,相应极盖区又恢复到原来的晨昏电场状态．这一响应过程和行星际激波强度有关：激波强度越强,新生的Ⅰ区场向电流也越强,它向赤道方向延伸的距离也越大,能到达的纬度也越低．上述结果在趋势上与观测到的输运对流涡旋和亚极光块的运动特征一致．     

Reservoir regulation by means of a ‘goal-oriented’ inflow predictor

A reservoir regulation scheme for the control of deficiency yields is described in the paper. According to such scheme, at the end of each decade (=ten days) the release in the following decade is established on the basis of current storage, downstream users' requirements and forecast of future inflows. Such forecast is supplied by a mathematical predictor, namely a recursive relationship, which points out the most likely values of future inflows on the basis of current and recent inflow measurements. It is a goal-oriented predictor, in the sense that its parameters are evaluated through a procedure, which takes into account the objective of reservoir regulation (=control of downstream deficits). The regulation scheme is applied to a real case and the resulting sequence of yearly deficits is evaluated. Such deficits are compared with the ones obtained by introducing a different (=non-goal-oriented) predictor into the scheme.     

Nonlinear performance of classical damping

The performance of a classical damping matrix, constructed either from the use of initial structural properties or current structural properties, in the step-by-step solution of a nonlinear multiple degree of freedom (MDOF) system is analytically evaluated. The analytical results are confirmed by numerical examples. Consequently, some conclusions are drawn from these analytical results that might be considered as rough guidelines for practical applications. It is found that a classical damping matrix constructed from initial structural properties is adequate for practical applications, since it has approximately the same damping effect as obtained by current structural properties and is more efficient in terms of computing.     

中国大陆大地震危险性判定的经验方法与实例研究

对大陆地震危险性判定的经验指标(地震活动图像异常因子)进行了初步归纳，结合当前震情趋势对未来10a大陆地震的危险性作出了初步判定。     

Evolution of river-routing schemes in macro-scale models and their potential for watershed management

Macro-scale river-routing schemes first emerged to channel runoff generated as a by-product from land surface models to oceans. In the past decade, as discharge of major rivers was identified as a suitable parameter to test the performance of the macro-scale land surface models, river-routing received significant attention, with development of multiple schemes. As resolution improves, the possibility of river-routing schemes connecting the global models with watershed issues has emerged as an option. Yet, even as results from these schemes become easily available, a comprehensive overview of their scope and limitation when considering regional or watershed-centric applications is lacking. To address this gap, 18 published river-routing schemes are compared by examining their structure, rationale and limitations. Due to the diverse nature of scheme implementations, a direct comparison of performance is not yet possible. However, features and studies geared towards watershed-scale applications are highlighted. Issues of global to local integration are discussed.     

Bathymetric Structure‐from‐Motion: extracting shallow stream bathymetry from multi‐view stereo photogrammetry

Stream bathymetry is a critical variable in a number of river science applications. In larger rivers, bathymetry can be measured with instruments such as sonar (single or multi‐beam), bathymetric airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging), or acoustic Doppler current profilers. However, in smaller streams with depths less than 2 m, bathymetry is one of the more difficult variables to map at high‐resolution. Optical remote sensing techniques offer several potential solutions for collecting high‐resolution bathymetry. In this research, I focus on direct photogrammetric measurements of bathymetry using multi‐view stereo photogrammetry, specifically Structure‐from‐Motion (SfM). The main barrier to accurate bathymetric mapping with any photogrammetric technique is correcting for the refraction of light as it passes between the two different media (air and water), which causes water depths to appear shallower than they are. I propose and test an iterative approach that calculates a series of refraction correction equations for every point/camera combination in a SfM point cloud. This new method is meant to address shortcomings of other correction techniques and works within the current preferred method for SfM data collection, oblique and highly convergent photographs. The multi‐camera refraction correction presented here produces bathymetric datasets with accuracies of ~0.02% of the flying height and precisions of ~0.1% of the flying height. This methodology, like many fluvial remote sensing methods, will only work under ideal conditions (e.g. clear water), but it provides an additional tool for collecting high‐resolution bathymetric datasets for a variety of river, coastal, and estuary systems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controlled-Source Electromagnetic Approaches for Hydrocarbon Exploration and Monitoring on Land

Electromagnetic methods that utilize controlled sources have been applied for natural resource exploration for more than a century. Nevertheless, concomitant with the recent adoption of marine controlled-source electromagnetics (CSEM) by the hydrocarbon industry, the overall usefulness of CSEM methods on land has been questioned within the industry. Truly, there are few published examples of land CSEM surveys carried out completely analogously to the current marine CSEM standard approach of towing a bipole source across an array of stationary receivers, continuously transmitting a low-frequency signal and interpreting the data in the frequency domain. Rather, different sensitivity properties of different exploration targets in diverse geological settings, gradual advances in theoretical understanding, acquisition and computer technology, and different schools in different parts of the world have resulted in a sometimes confusing multitude of land-based controlled-source EM surveying approaches. Here, I aim to review previous and present-day approaches, and provide reasoning for their diversity. I focus on surface-based techniques while excluding airborne EM and well logging and on applications for hydrocarbon exploration. Attempts at the very demanding task of using onshore controlled-source EM for reservoir monitoring are shown, and the possible future potential of EM monitoring is discussed.     

Numerical Modelling in Geo-Electromagnetics: Advances and Challenges

During the last decade, tremendous advances have been observed in the broad field of numerical modelling for geo-electromagnetic applications. This trend received support due to increasing industrial needs, mainly caused by hydrocarbon and ore exploration industry. On the other hand, the increasing reliability and accuracy of data acquisition techniques further spurs this development. In this review, we will focus on advances and challenges in numerical modelling in geo-electromagnetics. We review recent developments in the discrete solution of the 3-D induction problem in the time and frequency domains. Particularly, advantages and disadvantages of the common numerical techniques for solving partial differential equations such as the Finite Difference and Finite Element methods will be considered.     

First-Order Perturbation Theory for Seismic Isochrons

A first-order perturbation theory for seismic isochrons is presented in a model independent form. Two ray concepts are fundamental in this theory, the isochron ray and the velocity ray, for which I obtain first-order approximations to position vectors and slowness vectors. Furthermore, isochron points are connected to a shot and receiver by conventional ray fields. Based on independent perturbation of the shot and receiver ray I obtain first-order approximations to velocity rays. The theory is applicable for 3D inhomogeneous anisotropic media, given that the shot and receiver rays, as well as their perturbations, can be generated with such model generality. The theory has applications in sensitivity analysis of prestack depth migration and in velocity model updating. Numerical examples of isochron and velocity rays are shown for a 2D homogeneous VTI model. The general impression is that the first-order approximation is, with some exceptions, sufficiently accurate for practical applications using an anisotropic velocity model.     

Robotic photosieving from low‐cost multirotor sUAS: a proof‐of‐concept

Measurement of riverbed material grain sizes is now a routine part of fieldwork in fluvial geomorphology and lotic ecology. In the last decade, several authors have proposed remote sensing approaches of grain size measurements based on terrestrial and aerial imagery. Given the current rise of small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) applications in geomorphology, there is now increasing interest in the application of these remotely sensed grain size mapping methods to sUAS imagery. However, success in this area has been limited owing to two fundamental problems: lack of constraint of image scale for sUAS imagery and blurring effects in sUAS images and resulting orthomosaics. In this work, we solve the former by showing that SfM‐photogrammetry can be used in a direct georeferencing (DG) workflow (i.e. with no ground validation) in order to predict image scale within margins of 3%. We then propose a novel approach of robotic photosieving of dry exposed riverbed grains that relies on near‐ground images acquired from a low‐cost sUAS and which does not require the presence of ground control points or visible scale objects. We demonstrate that this absence of scale objects does not affect photosieving outputs thus resulting in a low‐cost and efficient sampling method for surficial grains. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Toxicity of Ionic Liquids

The dramatic growth in ionic liquid research over the past decade has resulted in the development of a huge number of novel ionic liquids, as well as many associated applications. The perceived environmentally friendly nature of ionic liquids, which results from their negligible vapor pressure, is now under scrutiny since although they will not evaporate into air, it is not possible to guarantee that they will never enter the environment. Toxicity research studies including ecotoxicity, have recently received broad attention and the commonly accepted notion that ionic liquids have low toxicity has been shown to be incorrect. This review attempts to highlight the progress of ionic liquid toxicity research, as well as the development of degradable and bio‐renewable ionic liquids.     

Effective use of seismic response envelopes for reinforced concrete structures

By exploiting the theory of the response envelopes formulated by Menun and Der Kiureghian [Envelopes for seismic response vectors. I–Theory, J. Str. Engrg. 2000; 126(3); 467–473], an algorithmic approach for seismic analysis of reinforced concrete frames is presented. It aims to fill a gap between research on spectral analysis of structures and current design practice in which the use of seismic response envelopes, available since early 2000s, is hampered by the lack of efficient and robust implementations. The proposed strategy is based on customary features (such as modal shapes and response spectra) currently adopted in professional practice, and it takes advantage of recently published formulations for the evaluation of stress resultants in arbitrarily shaped reinforced concrete cross‐sections subjected to axial force and biaxial bending. Numerical applications are illustrated in order to show the procedure's efficiency and effectiveness. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

INDUCED POLARIZATION RESPONSE OF A POLARIZABLE INHOMOGENEOUS SPHERE *

Expressions for the I. P. activity coefficient for an inhomogeneous sphere with the conductivity increasing/decreasing from the core towards the periphery according to a power law have been derived. In certain geometrical situations of the electrode configurations a negative I. P. signal is obtained. The negative I. P. may be understood as due to modifications in the discharge current from the polarized medium during the discharge process. The results of the investigation may be useful for more accurate interpretation of I. P. anomalies due to isometric inhomogeneous bodies.     

Possibilities of magnetotelluric methods in geophysical exploration for ore minerals

In the past decade, the applications of magnetotelluric method in the electric prospecting for ore bodies have been rapidly progressing. In the present work, we summarize the first results on this way. We discuss the specificity of the geoelectrical models in the problems of mining prospecting for ore bodies. The state-of-the-art capabilities of the method, which rely on the synchronous observation systems and the procedure of joint inversion of magnetotelluric and magnetovariational responses, are considered in the context of ore mineral exploration. The results of modeling a typical mining audio-magnetotelluric survey for ore minerals are presented. On the basis of these simulations and the data provided by in-situ soundings, the efficient approaches to the processing, analysis, and inversion of these data are discussed and illustrated. The future trends in magnetotellurics as applied to the mining prospecting are analyzed.     

Paramagnetic lattice defects in quartz for applications to ESR dating

Quartz is one of the minerals useful for ESR dating with many applications. Although the study has quite a long history since 1980's, ESR dating of quartz is still in a developing stage. After the basis in physics for the ESR signals in quartz is described, the current status of ESR dating of quartz is summarized for applications to fault gouge, tephra and sediment. Both basic studies for mechanisms and practical applications with independent age controls are still necessary to establish the protocols.     

A parallel,scalable and memory efficient inversion code for very large‐scale airborne electromagnetics surveys

Over the past decade the typical size of airborne electromagnetic data sets has been growing rapidly, along with an emerging need for highly accurate modelling. One‐dimensional approximate inversions or data transform techniques have previously been employed for very large‐scale studies of quasi‐layered settings but these techniques fail to provide the consistent accuracy needed by many modern applications such as aquifer and geological mapping, uranium exploration, oil sands and integrated modelling. In these cases the use of more time‐consuming 1D forward and inverse modelling provide the only acceptable solution that is also computationally feasible. When target structures are known to be quasi layered and spatially coherent it is beneficial to incorporate this assumption directly into the inversion. This implies inverting multiple soundings at a time in larger constrained problems, which allows for resolving geological layers that are undetectable using simple independent inversions. Ideally, entire surveys should be inverted at a time in huge constrained problems but poor scaling properties of the underlying algorithms typically make this challenging. Here, we document how we optimized an inversion code for very large‐scale constrained airborne electromagnetic problems. Most importantly, we describe how we solve linear systems using an iterative method that scales linearly with the size of the data set in terms of both solution time and memory consumption. We also describe how we parallelized the core region of the code, in order to obtain almost ideal strong parallel scaling on current 4‐socket shared memory computers. We further show how model parameter uncertainty estimates can be efficiently obtained in linear time and we demonstrate the capabilities of the full implementation by inverting a 3327 line km SkyTEM survey overnight. Performance and scaling properties are discussed based on the timings of the field example and we describe the criteria that must be fulfilled in order to adapt our methodology for similar type problems.