Spectral Simulation and Conditioning to Local Continuity Trends in Geologic Modeling

Spectral simulation has gained application in building geologic models due to the advantage of better honoring the spatial continuity of petrophysical properties, such as reservoir porosity and shale volume. Distinct from sequential simulation methods, spectral simulation is a global algorithm in the sense that a global density spectrum is calculated once and the inverse Fourier transform is performed on the Fourier coefficient also only once to generate a simulation realization. The generated realizations honor the spatial continuity structure globally over the whole field instead of only within a search neighborhood, as with sequential simulation algorithms. However, the disadvantage of global spectral simulation is that it traditionally cannot account for the local information such as the local continuity trends, which are often observed in reservoirs and hence are important to be accounted for in geologic models. This disadvantage has limited wider application of spectral simulation in building geologic models. In this paper, we present ways of conditioning geologic models to the relevant local information. To account for the local continuity trends, we first scale different frequency components of the original model with local-amplitude spectrum ratios that are specific to the local trend. The sum of these scaled frequency components renders a new model that displays the desired local continuity trend. The implementation details of this new method are discussed and examples are provided to illustrate the algorithm.     

Detection of deep water benthic macroalgae using image-based classification techniques on multibeam backscatter at Cashes Ledge,Gulf of Maine,USA

Benthic macroalgae form an important part of temperate marine ecosystems, exhibiting a complex three-dimensional character which represents a vital foraging and spawning ground for many juvenile fish species. In this research, image-based techniques for classification of multibeam backscatter are explored for the detection of benthic macroalgae at Cashes Ledge in the Gulf of Maine, USA. Two classifications were performed using QTC-Multiview, differentiated by application of a threshold filter, and macroalgal signatures were independently extracted from the raw sonar datagrams in Matlab. All classifications were validated by comparison with video ground-truth data. The unfiltered classification shows a high degree of complexity in the shallowest areas within the study site; the filtered demonstrates markedly less variation by depth. The unfiltered classification shows a positive agreement with the video ground-truth data; 82.6% of observations recording Laminaria sp., 39.1% of Agarum cribrosum and 100.0% (n = 3) of mixed macroalgae occur within the same acoustically distinct group of classes. These are discrete from the 8.1% recorded agreement with absences and nulls (>40 m) of macrophytes (n = 32) from a total of 86 ground-truth locations. The results of the water column data extraction (WCDE) show similar success, accurately predicting 78.3% of Laminaria sp. and 30.4% of A. cribrosum observations.     

Transport of ionizing radiation in terrestrial-like exoplanet atmospheres

The propagation of ionizing radiation through model atmospheres of terrestrial-like exoplanets is studied for a large range of column densities and incident photon energies using a Monte Carlo code we have developed to treat Compton scattering and photoabsorption. Incident spectra from parent star flares, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts are modeled and compared to energetic particles in importance. Large irradiation events with fluences of 10⁶-10⁹ erg cm⁻² at the conventional habitable zone can occur at a rate from many per day (flares from young low-mass parent stars) to ∼100 per Gyr (supernovae and gamma-ray bursts). We find that terrestrial-like exoplanets with atmospheres thinner than about 100 g cm⁻² block nearly all X-rays, but transmit and reprocess a significant fraction of incident γ-rays, producing a characteristic, flat surficial spectrum. Thick atmospheres (?100 g cm⁻²) efficiently block even γ-rays, but nearly all the incident energy is redistributed into diffuse UV and visible aurora-like emission, increasing the effective atmospheric transmission by many orders of magnitude. Depending on the presence of molecular UV absorbers and atmospheric thickness, up to 10% of the incident energy can reach the surface as UV reemission. For the Earth, between 2×10⁻³ and 4×10⁻² of the incident flux reaches the ground in the biologically effective 200-320 nm range, depending on O₂/O₃ shielding. For atmospheres thicker than ∼50 g cm⁻² in the case of pure Rayleigh scattering and ∼100 g cm⁻² in the case of O₂/O₃ absorption, the UV reemission exceeds the surficial transmitted ionizing radiation. We also discuss the effects of angle of incidence and derive a modified two-stream approximation solution for the UV transfer. Finally, we suggest that transient atmospheric ionization layers can be frequently created at altitudes lower than the equilibrium layers that result from steady irradiation and winds from the parent star. We suggest that these events can produce frequent fluctuations in atmospheric ionization levels and surficial UV fluxes on terrestrial-like planets.     

A literature review of the saturation state of seawater with respect to calcium carbonate and its possible significance for scale formation on OTEC heat exchangers

An investigation has been made of available data on the saturation state of seawater with respect to calcium carbonate and its possible significance for scale formation on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) heat exchangers. Pertinent oceanographic data is lacking at or near potential OTEC sites for the calculation of the degree of saturation of seawater with respect to calcium carbonate. Consequently, only “extrapolated” saturation values can be used. These indicate that near surface seawater is probably supersaturated, with respect to the calcium carbonate phases calcite and aragonite, at all potential OTEC sites. The deep seawater that would be brought to the surface at the potential Atlantic Ocean sites is also likely to be supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate. The deep seawater at the potential Pacific Ocean sites may be slightly undersaturated.The fact that OTEC heat exchangers will be operating in seawater, which is supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate, means that if nucleation of calcite or aragonite occurs on the heat exchanger surfaces, significant growth rates of calcium carbonate scale may be expected. The potential for calcium carbonate nucleation is highest at cathodic metal surface locations, which are produced as the result of aluminum corrosion in seawater. Consequently, corrosion and scale formation may be closely related. What the possible effects of biofouling may be on this process are not known.     

Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrophotometry Of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Near Perihelion

We present 1- to 5-μm broadband and CVF images of comet Hale-Bopp taken 1997 February 10.5 UT, 50 days before perihelion. All the images exhibit a nonspherical coma with a bright “ridge” in the direction of the dust tail approximately 10″ from the coma. Synthetic aperture spectrophotometry implies that the optically important grains are of a radius ≤0.4 μm; smallest radius for any comet seen to date. The variation of the integrated surface brightness with radial distance from the coma (ρ) in all the images closely follows the “steady state” ρ⁻¹ model for comet dust ablation (Gehrz and Ney, 1992). The near-infrared colors taken along the dust tail are not constant implying the dust grain properties vary with coma distance. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The distribution of spiny lobsters in New Zealand waters (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae)

Two species of spiny lobsters (marine crayfish) inhabit New Zealand waters: Jasus edwardsii (Hutton, 1875), and J verreauxi (H. Milne Edwards, 1851). J edwardsii, the more common species, is present along most rocky coastlines in New Zealand, but is more abundant in the south‐west of the South Island and at the Chatham Islands. The species apparently reaches its northern limit of distribution at the Three Kings Islands (34°S) and its southern limit at the Auckland Islands (51°S).

J. verreauxi, the less common species, is almost solely restricted in New Zealand waters to the north‐east coast of the North Island. It is uncommon in the west and the south of the North Island, and is rare in the South Island. J. verreauxi apparently reaches its northern limit of distribution at the Kermadec Islands (31°S), and its southern limit near Bluff (47°S) in the South Island.     

Introduction

We have recently measured the concentrations of W and Mo in a large number of terrestrial samples using a new neutron activation analysis method and from these data we have estimated the abundance of these elements in the mantle. The new Mo mantle abundance of 59 ppb is much lower, the W mantle abundance of 10 ppb is somewhat lower than previous estimates. The concentrations of W in some ocean floor basalts are much lower than previously reported. The good correlation of W with U confirms the highly incompatible behavior of W and the good correlation of Mo with Nd indicates a moderately incompatible nature for Mo.The new data on W and Mo provide important constraints regarding the possible mechanisms of core formation and accretion because W and Mo are refractory elements under reducing conditions which would have accreted in the Earth in chondritic proportions, unaffected by volatility. The Mo/W ratio of 5.9 in the mantle is less than a factor of two lower than the chondritic ratio of 9.8. The ratio of Mo to W is a sensitive indicator for metal or sulfide fractionation, because Mo is more siderophile and more chalcophile than W. This tightly limits the amount of metal or sulfide segregation from the mantle to less than 0.1% since the end of accretion. The data for the moderately siderophile elements Mo, W, Co and Ni suggest that core formation in the Earth was essentially complete after 85–95% of the Earth had accreted.     

Helium isotopes and mantle volatiles in Loihi Seamount and Hawaiian Island basalts and xenoliths

We examine in this paper the use of helium isotope ratios for the study of hotspot volcanism along age-progressive island volcanic chains. The Hawaiian Islands are the original “high ³He” hotspot, with ³He/⁴He ratios as high as 32 × the atmospheric ratio; in the Pacific they stand out against the surrounding sea of MORB (rather uniformly 8 × atmospheric) which fills the entire Pacific with the exception of the Macdonald-Mehetia-Samoa axis in the South Pacific. The recent availability of a variety of alkalic and tholeiitic glasses from the U.S. Geological Survey and our own dredge hauls has prompted us to look first at isotopic variability within a single fresh and new volcano which is probably sitting directly atop a mantle plume. Thus we have looked in some detail at the total helium in glass pillow rims, at He in the enclosed vesicles, and at He in the glass itself, in both tholeiitic and alkalic lavas, and also at helium in associated phenocrysts and xenoliths. The measured ³He/⁴He ratios range from atmospheric to 30 × atmospheric, but we see clear evidence that the highly vesiculated lavas suffer exchange of He between the thin glass walls of vesicles and ambient seawater, so that we observe a post-eruptive isotopic disequilibrium between glass and gas phases. The primary effect is the very large loss of initial He content during eruptive vesiculation, which results in quite large isotopic effects from small additions of ambient He (of the order of 0.02 μcc He per gram of basalt; corresponding to a “water/rock ratio” of 0.5). Phenocrystic He in olivines verifies that the gas-phase He is not affected by vesicularities up to about 5%. Alkali basalt He appears to be independent of vesicularity up to values as high as 35%; this He is somewhat lower in ³He/⁴He ratio, but matches precisely the associated xenolithic He. However, from the present data we cannot exclude the possibility that diffusive exchange with seawater has affected the He ratio in alkalic vesicles.On the large scale, along the 10% of the Hawaiian chain available for subaerial sampling, we find high ³He/⁴He ratios (24 × atmospheric) in 5.5 × 10⁶-year-old lavas on Kauai. Maximum values of the ratio so far observed are in the pre-erosional Kula basalts on Maui, confirming the previous results of Kaneoka and Takaoka. Hawaii, where these high values were first observed is now seen to range from MORB ratios at Mauna Loa to only 15 × R_A at Kilauea fumaroles. Most xenolithic He so far measured is MORB He, but Loihi xenoliths have high values and are quite different in this respect. Finally, we discuss also the hydrogen and carbon isotope results on Loihi lavas, and show that these elements resemble MORB and appear not to show a distinctive plume signature.