Multi-trace basis-pursuit seismic inversion for resolution enhancement

Seismic inversion is an important tool that transfers interface information of seismic data to formation information, which renders the seismic data easily understood by geologists or petroleum engineers. In this study, a novel multi-trace basis-pursuit inversion method based on the Bayesian theory is proposed to enhance the vertical resolution and overcome the lateral instability of inversion results between different traces occasionally seen in the traditional trace-by-trace basis-pursuit inversion method. The Markov process is initially introduced to describe the relationship between adjacent seismic traces and their correlation, which we then close couple in the equation of our new inversion method. A recursive function is further derived to simplify the inversion process by considering the particularity of the coefficient matrix in the multi-trace inversion equation. A series of numerical-analysis and field data examples demonstrates that both the traditional and the new methods for P-wave impedance inversion are helpful in enhancing the resolution of thin beds that are usually difficult to discern from original seismic profiles, thus highlighting the importance of acoustic-impedance inversion for thin bed interpretation. Furthermore, in addition to yielding thin bed inversion results with enhanced lateral continuity and high vertical resolution, our proposed method is robust to noise and cannot be easily contaminated by it, which we verify using both synthetic and field data.     

不需提取激发脉冲的探地雷达波形反演方法

利用麦克斯韦方程的波形反演方法,能充分利用雷达数据中反映地下介质特性的波形、走时、相位等信息.它要事先已知激发脉冲信号,需从实际资料中提取,但受到诸多因素的影响.本文尝试避免从实际雷达资料提取激发脉冲的方法.首先,借助于一个已知地质模型上的探地雷达系统采集的记录以及给定激发脉冲、给定激发接收天线的正演模拟信号,计算出转换算子.其次,将转换算子作用于实测雷达信号,将其转换成给定激发脉冲激发的、给定激发接收天线采集的信号.最后,用转换后的数据进行波形反演.二维模型数据的转换表明,转换后的数据与正演模拟数据一致,反演结果差异甚小.实验室实测数据的反演结果与实际情况相符.     

Reconstructing ice-flow fields from streamlined subglacial bedforms: A kriging approach

The orientation of several landforms, e.g. drumlins, flutes, crag-and-tails, and mega-scale glacial lineations, records the direction of the overlying ice flow that created them. Populations of such features are used routinely to infer former ice-flow patterns, which serve as the building blocks of reconstructions of palaeo ice-sheet evolution. Currently, the conceptualisation of flow patterns from these flow-direction records is done manually and qualitatively, so the extractable glaciological information is limited. We describe a kriging method (with Matlab code implementation) that calculates continuous fields of ice-flow direction, convergence, and curvature from the flow-direction records, and which yields quantitative results with uncertainty estimates. We test the method by application to the subglacial bedforms of the Tweed Valley Basin, UK. The results quantify the convergent flow pattern of the Tweed Palaeo-Ice Stream in detail and pinpoint its former lateral shear margins and where ice flowed around basal bumps. Ice-flow parameters retrieved by this method can enrich ice-sheet reconstructions and investigations of subglacial till processes and bedform genesis. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

EMPIRICAL-NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF HEADCUT MIGRATION

1INTRODUCTION A headcut is a vertical or near-vertical drop or discontinuity on the channel bed of a stream,rill or gully,at which a free overfall flow often occurs,as shown in Fig.1.A headcut is usually eroded by the action of hydraulic stress,basal sapping,weathering,or the combination of these processes.Headcut erosion can accelerate soil loss,increase sediment yields in streams,damage earthen spillways,and disturb bank stability.Therefore,the prediction of headcut migration is a very …     

SOME REMARKS ON NOISE STABILITY IN DYNAMIC INVERSION OF REFLECTION SEISMIC DATA1

The dynamic inversion of reflection seismic data is investigated with reference to the influence of noise on pseudo-impedance logs. Model traces are calculated with 0, 5, 15 and 50% noise, respectively. In solving the inversion problem, the algorithm of Marquardt and Levenberg is used in connection with singular value decomposition (SVD). The results are within a 1% error range so that there was no visible change in the logs. Further signal analysis show that there is no dependence on the phase content of the wavelet used if all other parameters of the model are known.     

二阶精度广义非线性全局最优的偏移速度反演方法(英文)

如何快速、精确地利用叠前深度偏移进行偏移速度分析是勘探地震学的一项重要研究内容,针对该问题,本文提出一种二阶精度广义非线性全局最优的偏移速度反演方法。我们将首先去掉速度模型修正量与成象深度差呈线性关系的假设,推导出具有二阶精度的速度模型修正量计算公式,使每一次迭代得到的速度模型尽可能地接近实际模型;然后采用广义非线性反演方法反演获得对所有道集的全局最优的速度模型修正量,不仅极大地加快了收敛速度,而且反演过程中陷入局部极小的可能性也减小了。理论模型和Marmousi模型的处理结果表明:本方法精度高、处理速度快,提高了偏移速度分析方法的实用性和对复杂构造成像的准确性。     

FLOW FIELD IN SCOURED ZONE OF CHANNEL CONTRACTIONS

Experiments were conducted in a laboratory flume to measure the two-dimensional turbulent flow field in the scoured zone of channel contractions under a clear-water scour condition. The Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) was used to detect the flow field at different vertical lines along the centerline of uncontracted (main channel) and contracted zones of the channel. The distributions of time-averaged velocity components, turbulent intensity, turbulent kinetic energy, and Reynolds stresses are presented in nondimensional graphical form. The bed shear stresses are computed from the measured Reynolds stresses being in threshold condition within the zone of contraction where bed was scoured. The data presented in this paper would be useful to the investigators for the development of kinematic flow model and morphological model of scour at a channel or river contraction.     

THREE DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL MODELLING OF FLOW AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN RIVERS

The 3D numerical model, ECOMSED (open source code), was used to simulate flow and sediment transport in rivers. The model has a long history of successful applications to oceanic, coastal and estuarine waters. Improvements in the advection scheme, treatment of river roughness parameterization and shear stress partitioning were necessary to reproduce realistic and comparable results in a river application. To account for the dynamics of the mobile bed boundary, a model for the bed load transport was included in the code. The model reproduced observed secondary currents, bed shear stress distribution and erosion-deposition patterns on a curved channel. The model also successfully predicted the general flow patterns and sediment transport characteristics of a 1-km long reach of the River Klar?lven, located in the north of the county of V?rmland, Sweden.     

AUTOMATIC EDITING OF NOISY SEISMIC DATA1

Seismic data often contain traces that are dominated by noise; these traces should be removed (edited) before multichannel filtering or stacking. Noise bursts and spikes should be edited before single channel filtering. Spikes can be edited using a running median filter with a threshold; noise bursts can be edited by comparing the amplitudes of each trace to those of traces that are nearby in offset-common midpoint space. Relative amplitude decay rates of traces are diagnostic of their signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios and can be used to define trace editing criteria. The relative amplitude decay rate is calculated by comparing the time-gated trace amplitudes to a control function that is the median trace amplitude as a function of time, offset, and common midpoint. The editing threshold is set using a data-adaptive procedure that analyses a histogram of the amplitude decay rates. A performance evaluation shows that the algorithm makes slightly fewer incorrect trace editing decisions than human editors. The procedure for threshold setting achieves a good balance between preserving the fold of the data and removing the noisiest traces. Tests using a synthetic seismic line show that the relative amplitude decay rates are diagnostic of the traces’S/N ratios. However, the S/N ratios cannot be accurately usefully estimated at the start of processing, where noisy-trace editing is most needed; this is the fundamental limit to the accuracy of noisy trace editing. When trace equalization is omitted from the processing flow (as in amplitude-versus-offset analysis), precise noisy-trace editing is critical. The S/N ratio of the stack is more sensitive to type 2 errors (failing to reject noisy traces) than it is to type 1 errors (rejecting good traces). However, as the fold of the data decreases, the S/N ratio of the stack becomes increasingly sensitive to type 1 errors.     

双感应测井资料的快速近似迭代反演

本文给出一种双感应资料快速近似迭代反演技术. 首先建立Fréchet导数的快速算法,保证在反演过程中能够同时获得测井响应相对于地层电阻率和层界面的偏导数,并给出用规范化处理与奇异值分解技术进行迭代反演的具体过程. 为了对理论模拟和井场实际资料进行反演,利用综合分层技术从双感应曲线中提取层界面初始位置和地层电阻率初值,通过单独迭代反演中感应资料,修改层界面和地层电阻率实现中感应资料的最佳拟合,得到探测深度相对较浅的地层电阻率,然后固定层界面位置,再迭代反演深感应资料,得到另一组探测深度相对较深的地层电阻率. 理论和实际资料处理结果证明,两个不同探测深度的电阻率反演结果的相对大小能够准确地反映地层真实的侵入特征.此外,由于深感应仪器具有较深的探测深度,不论在高侵或低侵地层上,深感应反演结果与地层原状电阻率的差异大大小于视电阻率的差异,所以利用反演结果也能得到更好的地层原状电阻率的估计值.     

Antecedent controls on the spatial organization of yardangs on the Puna Plateau,north-western Argentina

Yardangs are streamlined ridges that form in arid environments on Earth and Mars through wind-driven abrasion of consolidated substrates. Currently, there is limited consensus on the mechanisms that initiate and establish patterns of yardangs on the landscape. In this work, we examine the spatial organization of yardangs in the Campo de Piedra Pómez ignimbrite deposit of north-western Argentina and identify evidence of antecedent controls on yardang patterns and formation. We mapped 14,826 yardangs in the region using a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) and satellite imagery. We classified yardangs as points using a two-stage decision rule based on morphology and spectral characteristics. Point pattern analysis shows that yardangs in the study area are not randomly distributed and commonly exhibit directional anisotropy in point pattern. The anisotropic pattern manifests as bands of closely-spaced yardangs oriented transverse to the dominant northwesterly wind direction. We hypothesize that banding is controlled by pre-existing antecedent topography in the bedrock, such as fumaroles or ridges associated with pyroclastic flow deposits. We present evidence from other locations on Earth and Mars to illustrate that the transverse banding is a common pattern in yardang landscapes.     

Evidence of distinct contaminant transport patterns in rivers using tracer tests and a multiple domain retention model

Solute transport in rivers is controlled by surface hydrodynamics and by mass exchanges with distinct retention zones. Surface and hyporheic retention processes can be accounted for separately in solute transport models with multiple storage compartments. In the simplest two component model, short term storage can be associated to in-channel transient retention, e.g. produced by riparian vegetation or surface dead zones, and the long-term storage can be associated to hyporheic exchange. The STIR (Solute Transport In Rivers) multiple domain transport model is applied here to tracer test data from three very different Mediterranean streams with distinctive characteristics in terms of flow discharge, vegetation and substrate material. The model is used with an exponential residence time distribution (RTD) to represent surface storage processes and two distinct modeling closures are tested to simulate hyporheic retention: a second exponential RTD and a power-law distribution approximating a known solution for bedform-induced hyporheic exchange. Each stream shows distinct retention patterns characterized by different timescales of the storage time distribution. Both modeling closures lead to very good approximations of the observed breakthrough curves in the two rivers with permeable bed exposed to the flow, where hyporheic flows are expected to occur. In the one case where the occurrence of hyporheic flows is inhibited by bottom vegetation, only the two exponential RTD model is acceptable and the time scales of the two components are of the same magnitude. The significant finding of this work is the recognition of a strong signature of the river properties on tracer data and the evidence of the ability of multiple-component models to describe individual stream responses. This evidence may open a new perspective in river contamination studies, where rivers could possibly be classified based on their ability to trap and release pollutants.     

水平层状介质中双侧向测井资料的迭代Tikhonov正则化反演

根据非线性反演理论与Morozov偏差原理研究建立从双侧向测井(DLL)资料中同时重构地层原状电阻率、侵入带电阻率、侵入半径、层界面位置以及井眼泥浆电阻率的迭代正则化算法.首先利用Tikhonov正则化反演理论将双侧向测井资料的反演问题转化为含有稳定泛函的非线性目标函数的极小化问题,并利用Gauss-Newton算法确定极小化解.为得到稳定的反演结果并有效实现测井资料的最佳拟合,在迭代过程中将Morozov偏差原理和Cholesky分解技术相结合,建立了一套后验选择正则化因子的方法.最后通过理论模型和大庆油田实际测井资料的处理结果,验证了该算法能够取得更为满意的反演效果.     

Sharp and laterally constrained multitrace impedance inversion based on blocky coordinate descent

Seismic impedance inversion is a well-known method used to obtain the image of subsurface geological structures. Utilizing the spatial coherence among seismic traces, the laterally constrained multitrace impedance inversion (LCI) is superior to trace-by-trace inversion and can produce a more realistic image of the subsurface structures. However, when the traces are numerous, it will take great computational cost and a lot of memory to solve the large-scale matrix in the multitrace inversion, which restricts the efficiency and applicability of the existing multitrace inversion algorithm. In addition, the multitrace inversion methods are not only needed to consider the lateral correlation but also should take the constraints in temporal dimension into account. As usual, these vertical constraints represent the stratigraphic characteristics of the reservoir. For instance, total-variation regularization is adopted to obtain the blocky structure. However, it still limits the magnitude of model parameter variation and therefore somewhat distorts the real image. In this paper, we propose two schemes to solve these issues. Firstly, we introduce a fast algorithm called blocky coordinate descent (BCD) to derive a new framework of laterally constrained multitrace impedance inversion. This new BCD-based inversion approach is fast and spends fewer memories. Next, we introduce a minimum gradient support regularization into the BCD-based laterally constrained inversion. This new approach can adapt to sharp layer boundaries and keep the spatial coherence. The feasibility of the proposed method is illustrated by numerical tests for both synthetic data and field seismic data.     

Incompressible SPH scour model for movable bed dam break flows

In this study an incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (ISPH) approach coupled with the sediment erosion model is developed to investigate the sediment bed scour and grain movement under the dam break flows. Two-phase formulations are used in the ISPH numerical algorithms to examine the free surface and bed evolution profiles, in which the entrained sediments are treated as a different fluid component as compared with the water. The sediment bed erosion model is based on the concept of pick-up flow velocity and the sediment is initiated when the local flow velocity exceeds a critical value. The proposed model is used to reproduce the sediment erosion and follow-on entrainment process under an instantaneous dam break flow and the results are compared with those from the weakly compressible moving particle semi-implicit (WCMPS) method as well as the experimental data. It has been demonstrated that the two-phase ISPH model performed well with the experimental data. The study shows that the ISPH modelling approach can accurately predict the dynamic sediment scouring process without the need to use empirical sediment transport formulas.     

垂直上升管中油气水三相流流型多尺度熵分析

为了研究垂直上升管中油气水三相流流动特性,本文利用纵向多极阵列电导式传感器（VMEA）和阵列电导探针组合测量方法在内径为125 mm多相流流动环中采集了油气水三相流电导波动信号,在定义6种油气水三相流流型基础上,绘制了4种油水混合液量下油气水三相流流型转换图,分析了含油率对流型转化及气相流速对油水相态逆转的影响.对水为连续相的5种流型VMEA传感器波动信号进行了多尺度熵分析,研究结果表明：含油率增加可使水包油段塞流在较低气相表观速度下产生;较低流速下的油水相态逆转可发生在油液比为0.9左右,气相流速增加使得逆转点向含油率低的方向偏移;多尺度熵细节可以刻画油气水三相流非线性动力学特性,而低尺度的多尺度熵变化率敏感地反映流型转变,是划分油气水三相流流型的有效准则.多尺度熵有助于理解油气水三相流流型非线性动力学特征.     

INVERSION OF REFRACTED ARRIVALS: A FEW PROBLEMS1

The aim of refracted arrivals inversion is the computation of near-surface information, i.e. first-layer thicknesses and refractor velocities, in order to estimate the initial static corrections for the seismic data. The present trend is moving towards totally automatic inversion techniques, which start by picking the first breaks and end by aligning the seismic traces at the datum plane. Accuracy and computational time savings are necessary requirements. These are not straightforward, because accuracy means noise immunity, which implies the processing of large amounts of data to take advantage of redundancy; moreover, owing to the non-linearity of the problem, accuracy also means high-order modelling and, as a consequence, complex algorithms for making the inversion. The available methods are considered here with respect to the expected accuracy, i.e. to the model they assume. It is shown that the inversion of the refracted arrivals with a linear model leads to an ill-conditioned problem with the result that complete separation between the weathering thickness and the refractor velocity is not possible. This ambiguity is carefully analysed both in the spatial domain and in the wavenumber domain. An error analysis is then conducted with respect to the models and to the survey configurations that are used. Tests on synthetic data sets validate the theories and also give an idea of the magnitude of the error. This is largely dependent on the structure; here quantitative analysis is extended up to second derivative effects, whereas up to now seismic literature has only dealt with first derivatives. The topographical conditions which render the traditional techniques incorrect are investigated and predicted by the error equations. Improved solutions, based on more accurate models, are then considered: the advantages of the Generalized Reciprocal Method are demonstrated by applying the results of the error analysis to it, and the accuracy of the non-linear methods is discussed with respect to the interpolation technique which they adopt. Finally, a two-step procedure, consisting of a linear model inversion followed by a local non-linear correction, is suggested as a good compromise between accuracy and computational speed.     

A STABLE AND FLEXIBLE PROCEDURE FOR THE INVERSE MODELLING OF SEISMIC FIRST ARRIVALS1

Multiple coverage reflection seismic data provide an important source of information concerning the subsurface. However, due to the stacking and migration techniques used in the processing, the first arrivals are muted and details about the upper part of the sections are generally lost. This paper describes a computerized method for the inverse modelling of laterally varying velocities and shallow depths which are not sufficiently resolved in the reflection seismic processing. The method minimizes, in a least-squares manner, the difference between the observed first arrivals, picked from the reflection traces, and a set of synthetic traveltimes, calculated by ray tracing in a cell model. An initial model, e.g. from a priori knowledge or the application of a conventional interpretation method, is refined iteratively until no further essential improvement can be achieved. Traditional first-arrival inversion methods cannot, in general, provide such flexible modelling. The technique is successfully tested on synthetic data as well as on first arrivals picked automatically from the records of a reflection seismic survey in North Jutland, Denmark.     

VARIATION OF FLOW AND ROUGHNESS CHARACTERISTICS IN FLUVIAL RIVERS

The flow and roughness characteristics of fluvial rivers vary in accordance with the properties of the bed configurations. In field rivers, sand waves with different characteristic lengths are often formed simultaneously. This kind of bed configurations can hardly be observed in the flume experiments. In the present research, the bed configurations are classified into three types according to the type of bar and the characteristics of the resistance to flow are analysed in relation to the type of bar.     

2D NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF FLOOD AND FLUVIAL PROCESS IN THE MEANDERING AND ISLAND-BRAIDED MIDDLE YANGTZE RIVER

The characteristics of water flow and sediment transport in a typical meandering and island-braided reach of the middle Yangtze River is investigated using a two-dimensional （2D） mathematical model. The major problems studied in the paper include the carrying capacity for suspended load, the incipient velocity and transport formula of non-uniform sediment, the thickness of the mixed layer on the riverbed, and the partitioning of bed load and suspended load. The model parameters are calibrated using extensive field data. Water surface profiles, distribution of flow velocities, riverbed deformation are verified with site measurements. The model is applied to a meandering and island-braided section of the Wakouzi-Majiazui reach in the middle Yangtze River, which is about 200 km downstream from the Three Gorges Dam, to study the training scheme of the navigation channels. The model predicts the processes of sediment deposition and fiver bed erosion, changes of flow stage and navigation conditions for the first 20 years of impoundment of the Three Gorges Project.