Satellite gravity – enhancements from new satellites and new altimeter technology

This paper reviews the impacts of new satellite altimeter data sets and new technology on the production of satellite gravity. It considers the contribution of the increased data volume, the application of new altimeter acquisition technology and the potential for future developments. Satellite altimeter derived gravity has provided gravity maps of the world's seas since the 1980s, but, from 1995 to 2010, virtually all improvements were in the processing as there were no new satellite data with closely spaced tracks. In recent years, new data from CryoSat-2 (launched in 2010) and the geodetic mission of Jason-1 (2012–2013) have provided a wealth of additional coverage and new technology allows further improvements. The synthetic aperture radar mode of CryoSat-2 uses a scanning approach to limit the size of the altimeter sea surface footprint in the along-track direction. Tests indicate that this allows reliable data to be acquired closer to coastlines. The synthetic aperture radar interferometric mode of CryoSat-2 uses two altimeters to locate sea-surface reflection points laterally away from the satellite track. In a study to generate gravity for freshwater lakes, this mode is found to be valuable in extending the available satellite coverage. The AltiKa altimeter uses higher frequency radar to provide less noisy sea-surface signals and its new orbit mode gives potential for further improvements in satellite gravity. Future developments include the potential for swath mapping to provide further gravity improvements.     

A feasibility study of borehole radar as a permanent downhole sensor

Permanent downhole sensors provide the eyes and ears to the reservoir and enable monitoring the reservoir conditions on a real‐time basis. In particular, the use of sensors and remotely controlled valves in wells and on the surface, in combination with reservoir flow models provide enormous benefits to reservoir management and oil production. We suggest borehole radar measurements as a promising technique capable to monitor the arrival of undesired fluids in the proximity of production wells. We use 1D modelling to investigate the expected signal magnitude and depth of investigation of a borehole radar sensor operating in an oilfield environment. We restrict the radar applicability to environments where the radar investigation depth can fit the reservoir size necessary to be monitored. Potential applications are steam chamber monitoring in steam assisted gravity drainage processes and water front monitoring in thin oil rim environments. A more sophisticated analysis of the limits of a radar system is carried out through 2D finite‐difference time‐domain simulations. The metal components of the wellbore casing can cause destructive interference with the emitted signal. A high dielectric medium surrounding the production well increases the amplitude of the signal and so the radar performance. Other reservoir constraints are given by the complexity of the reservoir and the dynamic of the fluids. Time‐lapse changes in the heterogeneity of the background formation strongly affect the retrieval of the target reflections and gradual fluid saturation changes reduce the amplitudes of the reflections.     

Mapping dune dynamics by InSAR coherence

It is generally held that subtle changes in sandy environments are very difficult to detect in imagery. Nonetheless, this study demonstrates how synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometric decorrelation can be used to identify changes in individual sand dunes. The use of coherence maps over time facilitates the analysis of dune dynamics, both temporally and spatially. The Ashdod‐Nizzanim coastal dunes, along the southern coastal plain of Israel, were chosen as an illustrative example of the analysis of dune dynamics. High‐resolution TerraSAR‐X (TSX) radar images covering the entire research area were acquired for the period February to July 2012, together with meteorology data (wind and rain) for the area. The coherence results enabled the stability of individual dunes to be described as a function of time. It was found that the dune crests were more stable than the windward slopes and that the degree of stability was dependent on the distance of the dune from the sea. The results of this study show the potential of using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) decorrelation for aeolian studies, even in areas characterized by low coherence. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reconstruction of the near‐offset gap in marine seismic data using seismic interferometric interpolation

In conventional seismic exploration, especially in marine seismic exploration, shot gathers with missing near‐offset traces are common. Interferometric interpolation methods are one of a range of different methods that have been developed to solve this problem. Interferometric interpolation methods differ from conventional interpolation methods as they utilise information from multiples in the interpolation process. In this study, we apply both conventional interferometric interpolation (shot domain) and multi‐domain interferometric interpolation (shot and receiver domain) to a synthetic and a real‐towed marine dataset from the Baltic Sea with the primary aim of improving the image of the seabed by extrapolation of a near‐offset gap. We utilise a matching filter after interferometric interpolation to partially mitigate artefacts and coherent noise associated with the far‐field approximation and a limited recording aperture size. The results show that an improved image of the seabed is obtained after performing interferometric interpolation. In most cases, the results from multi‐domain interferometric interpolation are similar to those from conventional interferometric interpolation. However, when the source–receiver aperture is limited, the multi‐domain method performs better. A quantitative analysis for assessing the performance of interferometric interpolation shows that multi‐domain interferometric interpolation typically performs better than conventional interferometric interpolation. We also benchmark the interpolated results generated by interferometric interpolation against those obtained using sparse recovery interpolation.     

Characterization of fractured reservoirs using a consistent stiffness‐permeability model: focus on the effects of fracture aperture

In this paper we propose a method for the characterization of naturally fractured reservoirs by quantitative integration of seismic and production data. The method is based on a consistent theoretical frame work to model both effective hydraulic and elastic properties of fractured porous media and a (non‐linear) Bayesian method of inversion that provides information about uncertainties as well as mean (or maximum likelihood) values. We model a fractured reservoir as a porous medium containing a single set of vertical fractures characterized by an unknown fracture density, azimuthal orientation and aperture. We then look at the problem of fracture parameter estimation as a non‐linear inverse problem and try to estimate the unknown fracture parameters by joint inversion of seismic amplitude versus angle and azimuth data and dynamic production data. Once the fracture parameters have been estimated the corresponding effective stiffness and permeability tensors can be estimated using consistent models. A synthetic example is provided to clearly explain and test the workflow. It shows that seismic and production data complement each other, in the sense that the seismic data resolve a non‐uniqueness in the fracture orientation and the production data help to recover the true fracture aperture and permeability, because production data are more sensitive to the fracture aperture than the seismic data.     

4D seismic for oil-rim monitoring

In the central North Sea ‘Gannet‐A’ field, a 50 ft oil rim is overlain by a gas cap of variable thickness. Oil is produced from horizontal wells which initially produced dry oil, but as the field became more mature, a significant water cut was seen in several wells. A dedicated 4D seismic monitor survey was acquired in order to assess the remaining distribution of oil reserves. By forward modelling the synthetic seismic response to parameters such as contact movement and residual saturations (using 2D and 3D wedge models), and comparing the results with real seismic data, we are able to decipher the contact movements across the field. It is shown that, in one part of the field, the increased water cut is caused primarily by the vertical displacement of the entire oil rim into the initial gas cap. This oil‐rim displacement produces a very different 4D seismic response from the case of a static gas–oil contact and rising oil–water contact (normal production). As a result of these observations, we are able to optimize field production by both re‐perforation of existing wells and by drilling sidetracks into the displaced rim: a brown‐field development opportunity that might otherwise be missed.     

The value of subsidence data in ground water model calibration

The accurate estimation of aquifer parameters such as transmissivity and specific storage is often an important objective during a ground water modeling investigation or aquifer resource evaluation. Parameter estimation is often accomplished with changes in hydraulic head data as the key and most abundant type of observation. The availability and accessibility of global positioning system and interferometric synthetic aperture radar data in heavily pumped alluvial basins can provide important subsidence observations that can greatly aid parameter estimation. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the value of spatial and temporal subsidence data for automatically estimating parameters with and without observation error using UCODE-2005 and MODFLOW-2000. A synthetic conceptual model (24 separate cases) containing seven transmissivity zones and three zones each for elastic and inelastic skeletal specific storage was used to simulate subsidence and drawdown in an aquifer with variably thick interbeds with delayed drainage. Five pumping wells of variable rates were used to stress the system for up to 15 years. Calibration results indicate that (1) the inverse of the square of the observation values is a reasonable way to weight the observations, (2) spatially abundant subsidence data typically produce superior parameter estimates under constant pumping even with observation error, (3) only a small number of subsidence observations are required to achieve accurate parameter estimates, and (4) for seasonal pumping, accurate parameter estimates for elastic skeletal specific storage values are largely dependent on the quantity of temporal observational data and less on the quantity of available spatial data.     

Calibration of a Land Subsidence Model Using InSAR Data via the Ensemble Kalman Filter

The application of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has been increasingly used to improve capabilities to model land subsidence in hydrogeologic studies. A number of investigations over the last decade show how spatially detailed time‐lapse images of ground displacements could be utilized to advance our understanding for better predictions. In this work, we use simulated land subsidences as observed measurements, mimicking InSAR data to inversely infer inelastic specific storage in a stochastic framework. The inelastic specific storage is assumed as a random variable and modeled using a geostatistical method such that the detailed variations in space could be represented and also that the uncertainties of both characterization of specific storage and prediction of land subsidence can be assessed. The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), a real‐time data assimilation algorithm, is used to inversely calibrate a land subsidence model by matching simulated subsidences with InSAR data. The performance of the EnKF is demonstrated in a synthetic example in which simulated surface deformations using a reference field are assumed as InSAR data for inverse modeling. The results indicate: (1) the EnKF can be used successfully to calibrate a land subsidence model with InSAR data; the estimation of inelastic specific storage is improved, and uncertainty of prediction is reduced, when all the data are accounted for; and (2) if the same ensemble is used to estimate Kalman gain, the analysis errors could cause filter divergence; thus, it is essential to include localization in the EnKF for InSAR data assimilation.     

Estimation of near surface soil moisture in a sloping terrain of a Himalayan watershed using ENVISAT ASAR multi‐incidence angle alternate polarisation data

Soil moisture is one of the important input variables in hydrological and water erosion models. The extraction of information on near surface soil moisture from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is well established mostly for flat terrain and using low incidence angle single polarisation data. The ENVISAT advanced SAR (ASAR) data available in multiple incidence angles and alternate polarisation modes were investigated in this study for soil moisture estimation in sloping terrain. The test site was Sitla Rao watershed in the Lesser Himalayas of northern India. Empirical models were developed to estimate near surface soil moisture in bare agricultural fields using alternate polarisation ASAR data. Both soil moisture and surface roughness field measurements were performed during the satellite passes. Backscatter from medium incidence angle (IS‐4) and vertical‐vertical (VV) polarisation signal is correlated better with volumetric soil moisture content compared to other incidence angles. The model parameters were further improved, and soil moisture estimation was refined by combining medium incidence angle (IS4) vertical‐horizontal polarisation response as another variable along with VV polarisation response. The effect of slope on the radar backscatter was minimized by incorporating local incidence angles derived from an ASTER DEM. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

巴姆地震地表形变的差分雷达干涉测量

利用星载合成孔径差分雷达干涉技术和ENVISAT卫星雷达数据, 获得了2003年12月26日伊朗巴姆的里氏6.5级地震引起的同震地表形变场,并详细地介绍了信号处理的过程. 利用地震前后的相干图的差异及形变场的突变棱线, 精确确定了地面上断层裂缝的位置、形状和长度. 这对震源理论模型的参数估计提供了依据. 由雷达干涉技术测量得到的形变场与理论模型模拟的结果一致.      

Prediction of Density Flow Plunging Depth in Dam Reservoirs: An Artificial Neural Network Approach

Experimental findings and observations indicate that plunging flow is related to the formation of bed load deposition in dam reservoirs. The sediment delta begins to form in the plunging region where the inflow river water meets the ambient reservoir water. Correct estimation of dam reservoir flow, plunging point, and plunging depth is crucial for dam reservoir sedimentation and water quality issues. In this study, artificial neural network (ANN), multi‐linear regression (MLR), and two‐dimensional hydrodynamic model approaches are used for modeling the plunging point and depth. A multi layer perceptron (MLP) is used as the ANN structure. A two‐dimensional model is adapted to simulate density plunging flow through a reservoir with a sloping bottom. In the model, nonlinear and unsteady continuity, momentum, energy, and k–ε turbulence equations are formulated in the Cartesian coordinates. Density flow parameters such as velocity, plunging points, and plunging depths are determined from the simulation and model results, and these are compared with previous experimental and model works. The results show that the ANN model forecasts are much closer to the experimental data than the MLR and mathematical model forecasts.     

A data assimilation approach to discharge estimation from space

River discharge is currently monitored by a diminishing network of gauges, which provide a spatially incomplete picture of global discharges. This study assimilated water level information derived from a fused satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image and digital terrain model (DTM) with simulations from a coupled hydrological and hydrodynamic model to estimate discharge in an un‐gauged basin scenario. Assimilating water level measurements led to a 79% reduction in ensemble discharge uncertainty over the coupled hydrological hydrodynamic model alone. Measurement bias was evident, but the method still provided a means of improving estimates of discharge for high flows. The study demonstrates the potential of currently available synthetic aperture radar imagery to reduce discharge uncertainty in un‐gauged basins when combined with model simulations in a data assimilation framework, where sufficient topographic data are available. The work is timely because in the near future the launch of satellite radar missions will lead to a significant increase in the volume of data available for space‐borne discharge estimation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

海试引发深水油气综合地球物理采集的几点思考

深水地球物理采集技术随着国际海洋油气勘探的不断升温,技术水平不断提高.本文结合我国的地球物理海试实践,提出深水油气综合地球物理采集的几点思考,地震采集参数的选择,重磁震采集过程的实时监控,总结海试过程深水地球物理采集的两方面进展,一是精确定位的长缆二维地震采集技术,二是高精度的重磁震联合质量监控的综合地球物理测量技术,为深水油气勘探提供采集技术保障.     

Source model of the 11th July 2004 Zhongba earthquake revealed from the joint inversion of InSAR and seismological data

We use interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and broadband seismic waveform data to estimate a source model of the 11th July, 2004 M W 6.2 Zhongba earthquake, Tibet of China. This event occurred within the seismically active zone of southwestern Tibetan Plateau where the east-west extension of the upper crust is observed. Because of limitations in one pair of InSAR data available, there are trade-offs among centroid depth, rupture area and amount of slip. Available seismic data tightly constrain ...     

基于InSAR相位梯度叠加的毛尔盖库岸 滑坡隐患快速识别

库岸滑坡失稳会造成严重的危害并带来巨大的经济损失。合成孔径雷达干涉测量(Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, InSAR)已成为滑坡探测领域的重要技术手段。时序InSAR具备识别滑坡隐患的能力,但是面对海量数据,该技术仍然存在数据处理耗时久、识别效率低等问题。因此,提出一种基于InSAR相位梯度叠加的滑坡隐患快速识别方法,该方法采用改进后的Sobel算子对InSAR差分干涉对进行梯度运算,去除各项误差后,采用梯度叠加方式快速识别发生形变的区域。通过该方法在毛尔盖库岸成功快速识别出23处滑坡隐患,识别结果可靠性高,并且具备更优秀的微弱形变探测能力。在识别速度方面,相较于Stacking-InSAR和SBAS-InSAR分别提升1.4和1.9倍,该方法能从海量数据中快速且准确识别滑坡隐患,可以为广域滑坡隐患的快速识别提供借鉴与参考。     

D-InSAR技术应用于汶川地震地表位移场的空间分析

基于星载合成孔径雷达差分干涉测量技术(D-InSAR),利用7个条带共112景日本ALOS/PALSAR raw格式雷达数据,采用两通差分干涉处理模式,获取了2008年5月12日汶川MS8.0地震发震断层周围约450km×500km区域的同震形变干涉纹图。通过对干涉纹图的定性分析,确定了非相干带的分布范围,据此对相位连续条带和相位不连续条带采用不同的相位解缠方案,实现了7个条带的成功解缠,获得了数值化的干涉形变场图像,并通过形变等值线和跨断层形变剖面线等方法对干涉形变场的空间分布和演化特征进行了分析。结果表明:汶川地震造成的地表形变场沿映秀-北川断裂带分布,形变范围很大,但主要集中在发震断层南北两侧各约100km的近场区。其中断层附近由西向东宽约3015km,长约250km的区域为非相干带,是本次地震中变形最强烈并伴有地表破裂发生的区域,其形变梯度已超出InSAR测度能力。在非相干带两侧宽度各约70km,具有清晰可辨连续完整并向发震断层收敛的包络状干涉条纹区域是次一级形变区,距离发震断层越近,形变梯度和幅度越大,其视线向位移为北盘沉降,南盘抬升。相对于数据条带南北边缘,北盘最大累积沉     

Monitoring viscosity changes from time‐lapse seismic attenuation: case study from a heavy oil reservoir

Heating heavy oil reservoirs is a common method for reducing the high viscosity of heavy oil and thus increasing the recovery factor. Monitoring of these viscosity changes in the reservoir is essential for delineating the heated region and controlling production. In this study, we present an approach for estimating viscosity changes in a heavy oil reservoir. The approach consists of three steps: measuring seismic wave attenuation between reflections from above and below the reservoir, constructing time‐lapse Q and Q^?1 factor maps, and interpreting these maps using Kelvin–Voigt and Maxwell viscoelastic models. We use a 4D relative spectrum method to measure changes in attenuation. The method is tested with synthetic seismic data that are noise free and data with additive Gaussian noise to show the robustness and the accuracy of the estimates of the Q‐factor. The results of the application of the method to a field data set exhibit alignment of high attenuation zones along the steam‐injection wells, and indicate that temperature dependent viscosity changes in the heavy oil reservoir can be explained by the Kelvin–Voigt model.     

全直径岩心分析Archie参数在DQ油田XX区块的非均质火成岩气层评价中的应用

指出了全直径岩心分析的Archie参数(m、n)对非均质储层含油(气)性评价的重要性.使用新疆测井公司开发的全直径岩心多参数分析实验装置及实验方法,以DQ油田XX区块的非均质火成岩气层评价为例,由7块全直径岩样该获得了储层的物性和Archie参数.当应用于该储层含气饱和度估算后,与密闭取心饱和度分析的含气饱和度结果比较,含气饱和度估算误差大致在5%以内,较按Archie参数的确省值(m=n=2)估算的含气饱和度的精度高 10%左右.考虑到非均质储层在岩性、物性、孔隙结构的特殊性,推荐“真正”使用全直径岩心分析方法应用于非均质储层的物性、含油(气)性的评价,并重视模拟油藏条件的全直径岩心分析装置的开发.     

Oil spill detection with fully polarimetric UAVSAR data

In this study, two ocean oil spill detection approaches based on four scattering matrices measured by fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) are presented and compared. The first algorithm is based on the co-polar correlation coefficient, ρ, and the scattering matrix decomposition parameters, Cloud entropy (H), mean scattering angle (α) and anisotropy (A). While each of these parameters has oil spill signature in it, we find that combining these parameters into a new parameter, F, is a more effective way for oil slick detection. The second algorithm uses the total power of four polarimetric channels image (SPAN) to find the optimal representation of the oil spill signature. Otsu image segmentation method can then be applied to the F and SPAN images to extract the oil slick features. Using the L-band fully polarimetric Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle – synthetic aperture radar (UAVSAR) data acquired during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster event in the Gulf of Mexico, we are able to successfully extract the oil slick information in the contaminated ocean area. Our result shows that both algorithms perform well in identifying oil slicks in this case.     

Precision estimation and geomorphological analysis based on the DEM generated by InSAR: Taking Damxung-Yangbajain area as an example

Digital elevation model (DEM) can be generated by interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). In this paper, the interferometric processing and analyses are carried out for Damxung-Yangbajain area in Tibet, using a pair of Europe remote-sensing satellite (ERS)-1/2 tandem SAR images acquired on 6 and 7 April 1996. A portion of the In- SAR-derived DEM is selected and compared with the 1:50 000 DEM to determine the precision of the InSAR-derived DEM. The comparison indicates that the root mean squared er...