scholarly journals Fine-scale gas distribution in marine sediments assessed from deep-towed seismic data

2014 ◽  
Vol 196 (3) ◽  
pp. 1466-1470 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Ker ◽  
Y. Le Gonidec ◽  
B. Marsset ◽  
G. K. Westbrook ◽  
D. Gibert ◽  
...  

Abstract In the context of seismic imaging of gas/gas-hydrate systems, the fine-scale structure of subseabed gas-related reflections is assessed by taking advantage of the source signature of the deep-towed high-resolution SYSIF seismic device. We demonstrate the value of an original wavelet-based method and associated multiscale seismic attributes, applied to seismic data recently acquired on the western margin of the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. From analysis in the wavelet domain, we recognize two types of gas-related reflections associated with submetre-scale distribution of gas. We identify a thin gas-charged layer associated with an apparent normal polarity reflection, and we detect gas patches associated with a reverse-polarity bright spot with frequency-dependent elastic properties at small seismic wavelengths. The results provide valuable information on the scale of features through which gas migrates and resolve ambiguities in the interpretation of the seismic data.

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. B75-B94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Waage ◽  
Stefan Bünz ◽  
Martin Landrø ◽  
Andreia Plaza-Faverola ◽  
Kate A. Waghorn

High-resolution 4D (HR4D) seismic data have the potential for improving the current state-of-the-art in detecting shallow ([Formula: see text] below seafloor) subsurface changes on a very fine scale (approximately 3–6 m). Time-lapse seismic investigations commonly use conventional broadband seismic data, considered low to moderate resolution in our context. We have developed the first comprehensive time -lapse analysis of high-resolution seismic data by assessing the repeatability of P-cable 3D seismic data (approximately 30–350 Hz) with short offsets and a high density of receivers. P-cable 3D seismic data sets have for decades been used to investigate shallow fluid flow and gas-hydrate systems. We analyze P-cable high-resolution 4D (HR4D) seismic data from three different geologic settings in the Arctic Circle. The first two are test sites with no evidence of shallow subsurface fluid flow, and the third is an active seepage site. Using these sites, we evaluate the reliability of the P-cable 3D seismic technology as a time-lapse tool and establish a 4D acquisition and processing workflow. Weather, waves, tide, and acquisition-parameters such as residual shot noise are factors affecting seismic repeatability. We achieve reasonable quantitative repeatability measures in stratified marine sediments at two test locations. However, repeatability is limited in areas that have poor penetration of seismic energy through the seafloor, such as glacial moraines or rough surface topography. The 4D anomalies in the active seepage site are spatially restricted to areas of focused fluid flow and might likely indicate changes in fluid flow. This approach can thus be applied to detect migration of fluids in active leakage structures, such as gas chimneys.


Author(s):  
Russell L. Steere

Complementary replicas have revealed the fact that the two common faces observed in electron micrographs of freeze-fracture and freeze-etch specimens are complementary to each other and are thus the new faces of a split membrane rather than the original inner and outer surfaces (1, 2 and personal observations). The big question raised by published electron micrographs is why do we not see depressions in the complementary face opposite membrane-associated particles? Reports have appeared indicating that some depressions do appear but complementarity on such a fine scale has yet to be shown.Dog cardiac muscle was perfused with glutaraldehyde, washed in distilled water, then transferred to 30% glycerol (material furnished by Dr. Joaquim Sommer, Duke Univ., and VA Hospital, Durham, N.C.). Small strips were freeze-fractured in a Denton Vacuum DFE-2 Freeze-Etch Unit with complementary replica tooling. Replicas were cleaned in chromic acid cleaning solution, then washed in 4 changes of distilled water and mounted on opposite sides of the center wire of a Formvar-coated grid.


Author(s):  
Nina Skaarup ◽  
James A. Chalmers

NOTE: This article was published in a former series of GEUS Bulletin. Please use the original series name when citing this article, for example: Skaarup, N., & Chalmers, J. A. (1998). A possible new hydrocarbon play, offshore central West Greenland. Geology of Greenland Survey Bulletin, 180, 28-30. https://doi.org/10.34194/ggub.v180.5082 _______________ The discovery of extensive seeps of crude oil onshore central West Greenland (Christiansen et al. 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, this volume; Christiansen 1993) means that the central West Greenland area is now prospective for hydrocarbons in its own right. Analysis of the oils (Bojesen-Koefoed et al. in press) shows that their source rocks are probably nearby and, because the oils are found within the Lower Tertiary basalts, the source rocks must be below the basalts. It is therefore possible that in the offshore area oil could have migrated through the basalts and be trapped in overlying sediments. In the offshore area to the west of Disko and Nuussuaq (Fig. 1), Whittaker (1995, 1996) interpreted a few multichannel seismic lines acquired in 1990, together with some seismic data acquired by industry in the 1970s. He described a number of large rotated fault-blocks containing structural closures at top basalt level that could indicate leads capable of trapping hydrocarbons. In order to investigate Whittaker’s (1995, 1996) interpretation, in 1995 the Geological Survey of Greenland acquired 1960 km new multichannel seismic data (Fig. 1) using funds provided by the Government of Greenland, Minerals Office (now Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum) and the Danish State through the Mineral Resources Administration for Greenland. The data were acquired using the Danish Naval vessel Thetis which had been adapted to accommodate seismic equipment. The data acquired in 1995 have been integrated with the older data and an interpretation has been carried out of the structure of the top basalt reflection. This work shows a fault pattern in general agreement with that of Whittaker (1995, 1996), although there are differences in detail. In particular the largest structural closure reported by Whittaker (1995) has not been confirmed. Furthermore, one of Whittaker’s (1995) smaller leads seems to be larger than he had interpreted and may be associated with a DHI (direct hydrocarbon indicator) in the form of a ‘bright spot’.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ho-Young Lee ◽  
Nam-Hyung Koo ◽  
Byoung-Yeop Kim ◽  
Young-Jun Kim ◽  
Woohyun Son ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Nicolas Pradervand ◽  
Anne Dubuis ◽  
Loïc Pellissier ◽  
Antoine Guisan ◽  
Christophe Randin

Recent advances in remote sensing technologies have facilitated the generation of very high resolution (VHR) environmental data. Exploratory studies suggested that, if used in species distribution models (SDMs), these data should enable modelling species’ micro-habitats and allow improving predictions for fine-scale biodiversity management. In the present study, we tested the influence, in SDMs, of predictors derived from a VHR digital elevation model (DEM) by comparing the predictive power of models for 239 plant species and their assemblages fitted at six different resolutions in the Swiss Alps. We also tested whether changes of the model quality for a species is related to its functional and ecological characteristics. Refining the resolution only contributed to slight improvement of the models for more than half of the examined species, with the best results obtained at 5 m, but no significant improvement was observed, on average, across all species. Contrary to our expectations, we could not consistently correlate the changes in model performance with species characteristics such as vegetation height. Temperature, the most important variable in the SDMs across the different resolutions, did not contribute any substantial improvement. Our results suggest that improving resolution of topographic data only is not sufficient to improve SDM predictions – and therefore local management – compared to previously used resolutions (here 25 and 100 m). More effort should be dedicated now to conduct finer-scale in-situ environmental measurements (e.g. for temperature, moisture, snow) to obtain improved environmental measurements for fine-scale species mapping and management.


2009 ◽  
Vol 472 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 226-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Snyder ◽  
Peter Cary ◽  
Matt Salisbury

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