Gradient-based Pareto optimal history matching for noisy data of multiple types

The advantages of the simultaneous integration of production and time-lapse seismic data for history matching have been demonstrated in a number of previous studies. Production data provide accurate observations at particular spatial locations (wells), while seismic data enable global, though filtered/noisy, estimates of state variables. In this work, we present an efficient computational tool for bi-objective history matching, in which data misfits for both production and seismic measurements are minimized using an adjoint-gradient approach. This enables us to obtain a set of Pareto optimal solutions defining the optimal trade-off between production and seismic data misfits (which are, to some extent, conflicting). The impact of noise structure and noise level on Pareto optimal solutions is investigated in detail. We discuss the existence of the “best” trade-off solution, or least-conflicting posterior model, which corresponds to the history-matched model that is expected to provide the least-conflicting forecast of future reservoir performance. The overall framework is successfully applied in 2D and 3D compositional simulation problems to provide a single least-conflicting posterior model and, for the 2D case, multiple samples from the posterior distribution using the randomized maximum likelihood method.     

Submarine reworking of exhumed subcontinental mantle rocks: field evidence from the Lherz peridotites,French Pyrenees

In the Pyrenees, the lherzolites nowhere occur as continuous units. Rather, they always outcrop as restricted bodies, never more than 3 km wide, scattered across Mesozoic sedimentary units along the North Pyrenean Fault. We report the results of a detailed analysis of the geological setting of the Lherz massif (central Pyrenees), the type‐locality of lherzolites and one of the most studied occurrences of mantle rocks worldwide. The Lherz body is only 1.5 km long and belongs to a series of ultramafic bodies of restricted size (a few metres to some hundreds of metres), occurring within sedimentary formations composed mostly of carbonate breccias originating from the reworking of Mesozoic platform limestones and dolomites. The clastic formations also include numerous layers of polymictic breccias reworking lherzolitic clasts. These layers are found far from any lherzolitic body, implying that lherzolitic clasts cannot derive from the in situ fragmentation of an ultramafic body alone, but might also have been transported far away from their sources by sedimentary processes. A detailed analysis of the contacts between the Lherz ultramafic body and the surrounding limestones confirms that there is no fault contact and that sediments composed of ultramafic material have been emplaced into fissures within the brecciated carapace of the peridotites. These observations bear important constraints for the mode of emplacement of the lherzolite bodies. We infer that mantle exhumation may have occurred during Albian strike‐slip deformation linked to the rotation of Iberia along the proto‐North Pyrenean Fault.     

La prospection gravimétrique dans la modélisation d'un substratum sous formation sédimentaire : apport à l'hydrogéologie d'une zone semi-aride du Sud de Madagascar

A gravimetric survey has been carried out in a sedimentary basin, south of Madagascar, in order to define the bedrock morphology. The bedrock is made up of crystalline and volcanic rocks. The objective of the survey was to demonstrate whether a relationship could be established between bedrock morphology and groundwater mineralisation. Indeed, bedrock morphology has been successfully mapped and it is confirmed that most of the low mineralisation wells are located in areas where the slope of the bedrock is trending to the south-west, which ensures a higher hydraulic conductivity, i.e. a faster water flow, than in the other parts of the survey area. To cite this article: H. Rakoto et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Geological aspects of marine slope stability,northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The improvement of sensors such as various high‐resolution seismic and navigational systems and side‐scan sonar, of offshore shallow‐water drilling techniques, and of laboratory analyses has allowed the marine geologist to make more accurate identifications and maps of the distribution of numerous types of marine sediment instabilities, as well as to determine the mechanisms responsible for their occurrence. A large number of data on the continental shelf and upper continental slope off the modern delta of the Mississippi river have been compiled; these data will be used to document the major types of slope instabilities. The continental shelf and slope off the modern Mississippi river delta display various types of sediment instability. High rates of sedimentation (up to 80 m per century), weak, high‐water‐content clays, and differential weighting of clay sediments characterize this region. The major types of sediment instabilities that have been documented include (a) Peripheral slumping, with dimensions of slumps ranging from 200 to 1000 m; slumping often occurring in multiple stairstep arrangement; and downslope movement as high as 700 m per year. (b) Shallow diapiric intrusions, ranging in size from a few hundred meters to 2 km in diameter; vertical displacement ranging from 200 to 500 m; rate of sediment movement several meters per year; and intrusions caused by differential sediment loading, (c) Radial graben (tensional faulting), with widths from 50 to 500 m and lengths of several kilometers; both vertical and downslope lateral movements occurring; and downslope movements of surface material as much as 5 m per year common. (d) Circular collapse depressions, with diameters of depressions ranging from 50 to 500 m; topography of depression interiors, hummocky; and depressions possibly caused by dewatering or degassing of sediments under the influence of cyclic wave loading. (e) Surface mudflows, thick (often more than 35 m) masses of surface sediment flowage; often bounded by abrupt seaward slope; mudflows often extending laterally for distances in excess of 100 km; movement sporadic and lobate and rates of movement as much as several hundred meters per year; often being associated with extremely hummocky topography and mud volcanoes; and with extrusion of sediments the possible mechanism. (f) Shelf‐edge arcuate slumps, with large arcuate slumps displacing several hundred meters of sediment; slippage planes are commonly concave. Finally, (g) Various deep‐seated faults, with faults extending from deep horizons up to modern sediment surface; commonly being associated with abrupt scarps on the seafloor; numerous contemporaneous faults; and local slumping associated with fault scarps.     

Nutrient and carbon removal ratios and fluxes in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Net community production (NCP) and nutrient deficits (Def(X)) were calculated using decreases in dissolved CO₂ and nutrient concentrations due to biological removal in the upper 200 m of the water column during four cruises in the Ross Sea, Antarctica along 76°30′S in 1996 and 1997. A comparison to excess dissolved and particulate organic carbon showed close agreement between surplus total organic carbon (TOC) and NCP during bloom initiation and productivity maximum; however, when TOC values had returned to low wintertime values NCP was still significantly above zero. This seasonal NCP, 3.9±1 mol C m⁻², must be equivalent to the particle export to depths greater than 200 m over the whole productive season. We estimate that the annual export was 55±22% of the seasonal maximum in NCP. The fraction of the seasonal maximum NCP that is exported through 200 m is significantly higher than that measured by moored sediment traps at a depth of 206 m. The removal of carbon, nitrate and phosphate (based on nutrient disappearance since early spring) and their ratios showed significant differences between regions dominated by diatoms and regions dominated by the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica. While the ΔC/ΔN removal ratio was similar (7.8±0.2 for diatoms and 7.2±0.1 for P. antarctica), the ΔN/ΔP and ΔC/ΔP removal ratios for diatoms (10.1±0.3 and 80.5±2.3) were significantly smaller than those of P. antarctica (18.6±0.4 and 134.0±4.7). The similarity in ΔC/ΔN removal ratios of the two assemblages suggests that preferential uptake of phosphate by diatoms caused the dramatic differences in ΔC/ΔP and ΔN/ΔP removal ratios. In contrast to low ΔC/ΔP and ΔN/ΔP removal ratio in diatom-dominated areas early in the growing season, deficit N/P and C/P ratios in late autumn indicate that the elemental stochiometry of exported organic matter did not deviate significantly from traditional Redfield ratios. Changes in biologically utilized nutrient and carbon ratios over the course of the growing season indicated either a substantial remineralization of phosphate or a decrease in phosphate removal relative to carbon and total inorganic nitrogen over the bloom period. The species dependence in C/P ratios, and the relative constancy in the C/N ratios, makes N a better proxy of biological utilization of CO₂.     

Pattern and process of land loss in the Mississippi Delta: A Spatial and temporal analysis of wetland habitat change

An earlier investigation (Turner 1997) concluded that most of the coastal wetland loss in Louisiana was caused by the effects of canal dredging, that loss was near zero in the absence of canals, and that land loss had decreased to near zero by the late 1990s. This analysis was based on a 15-min quadrangle (approximately 68,000 ha) scale that is too large to isolate processes responsible for small-scale wetland loss and too small to capture those responsible for large-scale loss. We conducted a further evaluation of the relationship between direct loss due to canal dredging and all other loss from 1933–1990 using a spatial scale of 4,100 ha that accurately captures local land-loss processes. Regressions of other wetland loss on canal area (i.e., direct loss) for the Birdfoot, Terrebonne, and Calcasieu basins were not significant. Positive relationships were found for the Breton (r²=0.675), Barataria (r²=0.47), and Mermentau (r²=0.35) basins, indicating that the extent of canals is significantly related to wetland loss in these basins. A significant negative relationship (r²=0.36) was found for the Atchafalaya coastal basin which had statistically lower loss rates than the other basins as a whole. The Atchafalaya area receives direct inflow of about one third of the Mississippi discharge. When the data were combined for all basins, 9.2% of the variation in other wetland loss was attributable to canals. All significant regressions intercepted the y-axis at positive loss values indicating that some loss occurred in the absence of canals. Wetland loss did not differ significantly from the coast inland or between marsh type. We agree with Turner that canals are an important agent in causing wetland loss in coastal Louisiana, but strongly disagree that they are responsible for the vast majority of this loss. We conclude that wetland loss in the Mississippi delta is an ongoing complex process involving several interacting factors and that efforts to create and restore Louisiana’s coastal wetlands must emphasize riverine inputs of freshwater and sediments.     

Apport des marqueurs isotopiques et biogéochimiques dans la reconstitution du paléoenvironnement de la grotte du Lazaret (Nice,Alpes-Maritimes) au cours du Pléistocène supérieur (stade isotopique 5)

The isotopic composition of calcite from the stalagmitic floor E of the Lazaret Cave is interpreted as proxy of atmospheric circulation and vegetal cover changes during IOS 5. The ${\delta }^{18}\mathrm{O}$ variations could indicate change in precipitation sources, which could originate from the Mediterranean Sea during warm periods and from the Atlantic Ocean during colder periods. The ${\delta }^{13}\mathrm{C}$ variations could be related to vegetal cover and soil type. Tree cover appears to be dominant according to pollen spectra, and organic molecules trapped into calcite (sterols, terpenoids, humic acids). To cite this article: L. Rousseau et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

The potential use of serpentinite in the passive treatment of acid mine drainage: batch experiments

The efficiency of serpentinite as an alternative alkalinity generating material for the passive treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) was assessed in the laboratory. Three series of batch experiments were designed for the passive treatment of a low pH (1.6) AMD synthetic solution containing 2,500 ppm Fe²⁺, 6,600 ppm SO₄^2–, 10.5 ppm Al, 15 ppm Ni, and traces of Cr, Mn and Cu. The influencing factors studied were: the effect of water/rock ratio, residence time, type of the alkalinity generating material (dolomite, magnesite, marble, serpentinite), and nature of the system (open vs. closed cells). The variations in solution chemistry observed in the open cells indicate that a lower water/rock ratio (0.33 ml/g) was the most efficient for metals removal. The optimal residence time in open cells was 24 h to reach the higher pH values. In the closed cells laboratory setup, synthetic AMD was placed in contact with the various alkaline materials for three different contact times (24, 48, 72 h). The optimal pH was reached after 48 h and did not change appreciably for longer contact time, and the best results for metal removals were obtained with marble and serpentinite. Single treatment efficiency was compared with a successive treatment approach. The most promising results were obtained with a five step treatment: (1) pre-treatment in a closed cell using serpentinite, (2) aeration and settling, (3) treatment in an open cell using marble, (4) final aeration and settling, and (5) filtration with a coarse silica sand. With this configuration, the final pH was 6.5 and pronounced metals depletion was achieved (100% for Al, 99.95% for Fe, 85.7% for Ni).     

2-D and 3-D modelling of wide-angle seismic data: an example from the Vøring volcanic passive margin

This study presents the modelling of 2-D and 3-D wide-angle seismic data acquired on the complex, volcanic passive margin of the Vøring Plateau, off Norway. Three wide-angle seismic profiles were shot and recorded simultaneously by 21 Ocean Bottom Seismometers, yielding a comprehensive 3-D data set, in addition to the three in-line profiles. Coincident multi-channel seismic profiles are used to better constrain the modelling, but the Mesozoic and deeper structures are poorly imaged due to the presence of flood basalts and sills. Velocity modelling reveals an unexpectedly large 30 km basement high hidden below the flood basalt. When interpreted as a 2-D structure, this basement high produces a modelled gravity anomaly in disagreement with the observed gravity. However, both the gravity and the seismic data suggest that the structure varies in all three directions. The modelling of the entire 3-D set of travel times leads to a coherent velocity structure that confirms the basement high; it also shows that the abrupt transition to the slower Cretaceous basin coincides in position and orientation with the fault system forming the Rån Ridge. The positive gravity anomaly over the Rån Ridge originates from the focussed and coincident elevation of the high velocity lower crust and pre-Cretaceous basement. Although the Moho is not constrained by the seismic data, the gravity modelled from the 3-D velocity model shows a better fit along the profiles. This study illustrates the interest of a 3-D acquisition of wide-angle seismic over complex structures and the benefit of the subsequent integrated interpretation of the seismic and gravity data.