Solution of the one-dimensional inverse magnetotelluric problem

Summary Methods of solving the inverse magnetotelluric problem are compared. Basic relations for Newton's method, the least-squares method and Marquardt's method are presented and the convergence properties of these methods are studied. The high effectiveness of Marquardt's method is demonstrated and its application to practical magnetotelluric data is discussed.     

Quasi-one-dimensional method for solving the inverse magnetotelluric problem

We consider the iterative numerical method for solving two-dimensional (2D) inverse problems of magnetotelluric sounding, which significantly reduces the computational burden of the inverse problem solution in the class of quasi-layered models. The idea of the method is to replace the operator of the direct 2D problem of calculating the low-frequency electromagnetic field in a quasi-layered medium by a quasi-one dimensional operator at each observation point. The method is applicable for solving the inverse problems of magnetotellurics with either the E- and H-polarized fields and in the case when the inverse problem is simultaneously solved using the impedance values for the fields with both polarizations. We describe the numerical method and present the examples of its application to the numerical solution of a number of model inverse problems of magnetotelluric sounding.     

The inverse problem and ground water management

The response of groundwater basins to natural and anthropogenic inputs depends on many interrelated factors such as the values of groundwater flow and mass transport parameters. This work presents a theoretical analysis of the impact of parameter uncertainty on groundwater management decisions. It is shown that under classical, Bayesian, and deterministic assumptions about the parameter structure, the resulting management decisions could be very different. This underscores the importance of adopting the proper parameter structure and the need for using consistent methods to solve the inverse problem.     

Beach profile evolution as an inverse problem

Beach evolution models are normally applied in a prognostic fashion, with parameters and boundary conditions estimated from previous experience or other forecasts. Here, we use observations of beach profiles to solve a beach profile evolution equation in an inverse manner to determine model parameters and source function. The data used to demonstrate the method are from Christchurch Bay in Dorset, UK. It was found that there is a significant contribution from diffusive processes to the morphodynamic evolution of the beach profiles and that the development and disappearance of near-shore coastal features such as upper beach berms and inter- and sub-tidal bars are well captured by the source function in the governing equation.     

On the geostatistical approach to the inverse problem

The geostatistical approach to the inverse problem is discussed with emphasis on the importance of structural analysis. Although the geostatistical approach is occasionally misconstrued as mere cokriging, in fact it consists of two steps: estimation of statistical parameters (“structural analysis”) followed by estimation of the distributed parameter conditional on the observations (“cokriging” or “weighted least squares”). It is argued that in inverse problems, which are algebraically undetermined, the challenge is not so much to reproduce the data as to select an algorithm with the prospect of giving good estimates where there are no observations. The essence of the geostatistical approach is that instead of adjusting a grid-dependent and potentially large number of block conductivities (or other distributed parameters), a small number of structural parameters are fitted to the data. Once this fitting is accomplished, the estimation of block conductivities ensues in a predetermined fashion without fitting of additional parameters. Also, the methodology is compared with a straightforward maximum a posteriori probability estimation method. It is shown that the fundamental differences between the two approaches are: (a) they use different principles to separate the estimation of covariance parameters from the estimation of the spatial variable; (b) the method for covariance parameter estimation in the geostatistical approach produces statistically unbiased estimates of the parameters that are not strongly dependent on the discretization, while the other method is biased and its bias becomes worse by refining the discretization into zones with different conductivity.     

Three-dimensional inverse problem for inhomogeneous transversely isotropic media

Summary The basic formula used in the presented paper gives the relation between the P wave travel-time perturbation and the perturbation of an inhomogeneous transversely isotropic medium, expressed by four perturbations of elastic parameters and by two angles of orientation of the axis of symmetry of transverse isotropy in space. The travel time perturbation is computed along the ray in the unperturbed inhomogeneous isotropic medium. Four elastic parameters and two angles are parametrized in the model under study and a system of equations for many rays is constructed. The equations are linear in the sought elastic parameters and nonlinear in the sought angles, and the iterative Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is thus used to solve them. The theoretical 3-D inverse problem was solved in the presented numerical example. The data, simulating teleseismic data, were computed in the direct problem and then inverted. The results indicate the applicability and limitation of the presented algorithm in real problems.

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The inverse gravimetric problem: Existence,uniqueness and stability of the solution

Summary The paper is concerned with the mathematical properties of the density distribution within the Earth obtained by inverting of the external gravity field, provided an Earth's reference density model, used as the initial guess, is available. The method of regularization, which proves the existence, the uniqueness and the stability of the solution, which is nearest the initial guess in the L ² norm, is described.

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Conserved quantities and the inverse problem of reflection seismology

We show that the time-dependent wave equation in both one and two spatial dimensions possesses quantities which are globally conserved. We show how these conserved quantities can be used to determine the characteristic impedance, the rock density and the elastic constant of the rock. We also demonstrate that the conserved quantities possess the capability of determining and/or bracketing the unknown component of the direct pressure response, which is required to begin downward continuation algorithms. Further, we demonstrate that the conserved quantities are always available irrespective of the source structure in time. Numerical instability, arising if the filtering due to the source structure is too harsh, can then be controlled to a degree by demanding that the conserved quantities be indeed conserved.     

Numerical solution of the two-dimensional inverse geomagnetic induction problem

Summary An effective numerical approach to the solution of the two-dimensional inverse geomagnetic induction problem using the linearization method is presented. The numerical realization of the inversion is based on Marquardt's algorithm, for which the solution of the direct problem and the partial derivatives of this solution with respect to the electrical parameters of the medium are computed by the finite difference method. Theoretical models are studied and numerical results are presented.     

An inverse problem approach to modelling coastal effluent plumes

Formulated as an inverse problem, the diffusion parameters associated with length-scale dependent eddy diffusivities can be viewed as the unknowns in the mass conservation equation for coastal zone transport problems. The values of the diffusion parameters can be optimized according to an error function incorporated with observed concentration data. Examples are given for the Fickian, shear diffusion and inertial subrange diffusion models. Based on a new set of dyeplume data collected in the coastal zone off Bronte, Lake Ontario, it is shown that the predictions of turbulence closure models can be evaluated for different flow conditions. The choice of computational schemes for this diagnostic approach is based on tests with analytic solutions and observed data. It is found that the optimized shear diffusion model produced a better agreement with observations for both high and low advective flows than, e.g., the unoptimized semi-empirical model, K_y=0.075 σ_y^1.2, described by Murthy and Kenney.     

海底MT探测仪器的结构可靠性设计

海底大地电磁探测仪器在严酷的海洋环境下工作．为保证海上作业的效率和海底探测的成功率,一方面应注意尽量小仪器的重量和体积,同时也应保证其结构的可靠．在高可靠度前提下求得最省的材料用量是本仪器系统的设计目标．根据可靠性设计理论,通过对仪器的主要结构部件进行力学验算,从抗压、抗拉、抗剪以及抗变形等技术角度确定出各结构部件的材料配置．海洋试验的结果表明,本仪器系统的结构可靠性设计方案基本合理。     

On the inverse dynamo problem in a simplified mean-field model

Inverse dynamo theory seeks to gain information about the motion of a liquid conductor from measurements of the magnetic field in the surrounding vacuum. We consider here a highly simplified model problem, namely a steady α²-dynamo in plane geometry with an α-field varying only in the z-direction normal to the conductor–vacuum interface. Based on perturbation theory about constant-α solutions, we find as many integral conditions on α(z) as modes are present in the vacuum field. This result is corroborated by the complete solution of a special case.     

大地电磁各向异性二维模拟及实例分析

经过半个多世纪的发展,国内外利用大地电磁法研究地球内部电性结构取得了令人瞩目的成就,这些研究成果多数是基于电性各向同性理论.然而地球内部普遍存在电性各向异性现象,地壳和上地幔中存在的电性各向异性是地电模型、地下结构和构造模型间一个重要的联系因素.本文首先由麦克斯韦方程出发,引入张量电导率,根据二维电性各向异性结构的特点,得到一组关于平行走向的电场分量Ex和磁场分量Hx的偏微分方程.使用有限差分法求解偏微分方程,求出Ex和Hx的近似解,并以此求得其它场分量;随后,通过对普通及特殊的二维电性各向异性结构做正演模拟,研究其对观测大地电磁场的影响,从而认识在普通及某种特定地质条件下的电磁传播特性,为其后对大地电磁实测资料的处理解释奠定理论基础;最后,以本文的研究成果为基础,将电性各向异性理论引入对实测大地电磁资料的处理解释中,通过对新疆某地的大地电磁资料做二维正演拟合解释,说明了电性各向异性现象的普遍存在,也验证了理论的正确性及算法的实用性,为今后分析解释大地电磁资料中的电性各向异性现象提供理论依据和技术指导,并开拓了对大地电磁实测资料处理的思路和方法.     

大地电磁三维正演并行算法研究

大地电磁法三维正演算法计算量大,用传统的串行程序计算相当耗时。而三维正演是逐个频率按顺序计算的,并行性好,适合并行运算。结合MPI自身的优越性,在深入分析大地电磁三维正演串行程序实现流程的基础上,确定了并行计算的思路,实现了三维正演的并行计算。通过三个理论模型对实现的三维正演并行程序进行了试算,分析对比了在多种情况下程序的执行效率。测试结果表明,所实现的三维正演并行程序运行结果正确,效率提高明显。此思路可为解决其它地球物理超大计算量问题所借鉴。     

The solution of the one-dimensional inverse problem for induction soundings by an efficient linearization technique

A non-parametric method, the efficient linearization technique (ELT), is proposed for the inversion of induction soundings for a spherical Earth model with a radial conductivity distribution. The method is based on the fact that when linearizing the operator of the direct problem, the quantitative estimate of its non-linear term is taken into account, which makes the solution search procedure stable. At each iteration stage, the conductivity function correction is sought in the region where linearization is admissible. ELT makes it possible to evaluate the resolving power of the data and also the confidence interval for the conductivity function. Model examples illustrate the features of this method. The results of interpretation of magnetotelluric data are compared with nearby drill hole resistivity logs. A model of the conductivity distribution in the mantle based on global magnetovariational data available up to 1986, is constructed. This model is consistent with modern knowledge of physical processes occurring in the interior of the Earth.     

Processing of magnetotelluric data

The processing of magnetotelluric data involves concepts from electromagnetic theory, time series analysis and linear systems theory for reducing natural electric and magnetic field variations recorded at the earth's surface to forms suitable for studying the electrical properties of the earth's interior.The electromagnetic field relations lead to either a scalar transfer impedance which couples an electric component to an orthogonal magnetic component at the surface of a plane-layered earth, or a tensor transfer impedance which couples each electric component to both magnetic components in the vicinity of a lateral inhomogeneity.A number of time series spectral analysis methods can be used for estimating the complex spectral coefficients of the various field quantities. These in turn are used for estimating the nature of the transfer function or tensor impedance. For two dimensional situations, the tensor impedance can be rotated to determine the principal directions of the electrical structure.In general for real data, estimates of the apparent resistivity are more stable when calculated from the tensor elements rather than from simple orthogonal field ratios (Cagniard estimates), even when the fields are measured in the principal coordinates.     

Moho depth uncertainties in the Vening-Meinesz Moritz inverse problem of isostasy

We formulate an error propagation model based on solving the Vening Meinesz-Moritz (VMM) inverse problem of isostasy. The system of observation equations in the VMM model defines the relation between the isostatic gravity data and the Moho depth by means of a second-order Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. The corresponding error model (derived in a spectral domain) functionally relates the Moho depth errors with the commission errors of used gravity and topographic/bathymetric models. The error model also incorporates the non-isostatic bias which describes the disagreement, mainly of systematic nature, between the isostatic and seismic models. The error analysis is conducted at the study area of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas with the world largest crustal thickness. The Moho depth uncertainties due to errors of the currently available global gravity and topographic models are estimated to be typically up to 1–2 km, provided that the GOCE gravity gradient observables improved the medium-wavelength gravity spectra. The errors due to disregarding sedimentary basins can locally exceed ～2 km. The largest errors (which cause a systematic bias between isostatic and seismic models) are attributed to unmodeled mantle heterogeneities (including the core-mantle boundary) and other geophysical processes. These errors are mostly less than 2 km under significant orogens (Himalayas, Ural), but can reach up to ～10 km under the oceanic crust.     

On the new approach to solving the inverse problem of gravimetry

The results of the studies within the new approach to solving the inverse problem of gravimetry are considered. This approach consists in direct (analytical) continuation of the anomalous gravitational field specified on the Earth’s surface into the lower half-space with the use of the method of discrete approximations. The solution of the problem of analytical continuation is demonstrated by the model example. In the solution of the problem of analytical continuation, the developed algorithms and computer programs were implemented in two program packages which are used both in the model computations and in practice.     

Solving the structural inverse gravity problem by the modified gradient methods

New methods for solving the three-dimensional inverse gravity problem in the class of contact surfaces are described. Based on the approach previously suggested by the authors, new algorithms are developed. Application of these algorithms significantly reduces the number of the iterations and computing time compared to the previous ones. The algorithms have been numerically implemented on the multicore processor. The example of solving the structural inverse gravity problem for a model of four-layer medium (with the use of gravity field measurements) is constructed.