PATTERNS—WITH A PINCH OF SALT *

The time-honoured method of attenuating coherent noise in the seismic record is by the use of source and geophone arrays. In theory, and using methods familiar in the synthesis of digital frequency filters, arrays can be designed having virtually any desired response in the wavenumber spectrum. In practice, arrays cannot be implemented with the same precision that is applied in design. The response actually achieved must be compromized by a number of factors. These include inaccuracies in the effectiveness or positioning of individual array elements, variations in ground coupling, and the effect of local heterogenities in the environment of the array. We have no reliable way of knowing how well a particular array will perform from one location to the next. Statistical modelling methods have been applied to examine the effects of implementation errors. Experimental results, supported by statistical theory, show that errors are expected to impose a limit upon the rejection capabilities of an array. The expected limiting value of attenuation due to errors in element weights is inversely proportional to the standard deviation of errors and directly proportional to the square root of the number of array elements. Position errors exert a limiting influence which is wavenumber dependent such that attenuation decreases with increasing wavenumber. For arrays of common dimensions, Gaussian random errors of 10% standard deviation in element weights and positions result in an expected attenuation limit of about 30 dB. It follows that the more ambitious array designs are less tolerant of errors, and must be implemented with greater care and precision in the field. The present work enables us to specify tolerances for any particular array design. Ultimately, the degree of pattern refinement which may be effectively employed in any area is determined by errors which are associated with the array environment. Complex arrays are expensive to operate. In order to avoid over-design it would be useful to establish the magnitude of errors to be expected under different terrain conditions.     

The Quadrennial Ozone Symposium 2016

<正>1.Overview The 2016 Quadrennial Ozone Symposium(QOS-2016)was held on 4–9 September 2016 in Edinburgh,UK.The Symposium was organized by the International Ozone Commission(IO3C),the NERC Centre for EcologyHydrology and the University of Edinburgh,and was co-sponsored by the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics,the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric     

IN-SITU INVESTIGATION OF SEISMIC BODY WAVE ATTENUATION IN HETEROGENEOUS MEDIA*

Field experiments have been carried out to study the nature and magnitude of seismic wave attenuation for a variety of lithologies. In each survey two three-component sets of geophones with wall clamping mechanisms were lowered down boreholes and signals originating from surface compressional and shear-wave sources were recorded. The data collected were corrected for spherical divergence and analyzed to determine intrinsic attenuation. For situations of anomalous wavefront expansion and in cases where multiple reflection losses may be significant, corrections were supplied by a synthetic seismogram programme to improve the estimates of intrinsic attenuation. Values of attenuation were obtained for pure sandstone, sandstone-marl sequences and fissured-unfissured chalk sequences. These formations were all near surface and relatively porous. Significant differences in the relative values of compressional and shear-wave attenuation in the various lithologies were noted. In particular compressional absorption in the fissured zones of chalk was twice the absorption associated with the seismic velocities and the absorption of shear waves fluctuated much less. A large contrast in P-wave attenuation was also observed between pure Bunter Sandstone and the sandstone-marl sequence (absorption was over three times as small in the former). A smaller contrast was noted for shear attenuation. The results obtained suggest that, for the relatively homogeneous formations such as pure sandstone and “unfissured” chalk, “shear” absorption was dominant over “bulk” absorption. In contrast bulk absorption was larger than shear absorption for other formations, e.g. the “fissured” chalk sequences and a “partially saturated” chalk section. Attenuation was found to be approximately proportional to frequency in all experiments.     

LOW-FREQUENCY STANDARD HYDROPHONE * FOR CALIBRATING LINE HYDROPHONE ARRAYS (SEISMIC STREAMERS) AND MARINE SEISMIC SOURCES **

The design of a standard hydrophone with a maximally flat (Butterworth) response in the frequency range 8.0 Hz-1.0 kHz is described. The standard hydrophone has been developed primarily for calibrating line hydrophone arrays (seismic streamers) and marine seismic sources. The standard hydrophone has been used successfully during the past eight years for monitoring the output of a single air gun. It can be used for the calibration of a marine seismic streamer.     

Noble gases in pillow basalt glasses from the northern Mariana Trough back-arc basin

Noble gas concentrations and isotopic compositions have been measured in eight samples of pillow basalt glasses collected from seven different localities along 250 km of the Mariana Trough spreading and rifting axis. The samples have uniform and mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like ³He/⁴He values of 9–12 × 10^–6 (6.4–8.6 times atmospheric) despite large variations in ⁴He. Concentrations of the noble gases Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe show much smaller variations between samples, but larger variations in isotopic compositions of Ne, Ar, and Xe. Excess radiogenic ²¹Ne is observed in some samples. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar varies widely (atmospheric to 1880). Kr is atmospheric in composition for all samples. Some samples show a clear excess ¹²⁹Xe, which is a well-known MORB signature. Isotopic compositions of the heavier noble gases (Ar, Kr, and Xe) in some samples, however, show more atmospheric components. These data reflect the interaction of a MORB-like magma with an atmospheric component such as seawater or of a depleted mantle source with a water-rich component that was probably derived from the subducting slab.     

CONTINUOUS CALIBRATION OF MARINE SEISMIC SOURCES*

The success of signature deconvolution in optimizing both signal-to-noise ratio and time resolution in the seismic section depends critically upon obtaining an accurate estimate of the far-field source signature. Various deterministic estimation schemes have been proposed in recent years, most of which involve direct monitoring of source output within the water layer. As an alternative to elaborate and error-prone source monitoring schemes during data acquisition, a simple modification to any source array permits subsequent estimation of far-field signatures directly from reflected signal. The new method requires the inclusion within any chosen source array of a simple point source, the “reference” source. Initial experiments employed a water gun as the reference source, characterized by a concise implosive signature with peak-to-peak amplitude of approximately 2 bar·m within the seismic sprectrum. In operation the reference source is fired shortly before the main array (typically 2 s during initial trials) and the usual record length is extended by a similar amount. Each recorded trace then comprises two results: the subsurface response to the reference source signal followed by the response of the same subsurface to the main array. The disparities in source amplitudes and NMO differentials ensure that interference effects are negligible in the main recording. Time- or frequency-domain methods can be employed to extract the main array signature from the dual dataset or to invert this to some preferred wavelet simultaneously. As an additional benefit the reference source yields excellent high-resolution profiles of the shallow geology.