Land-cover classification of China: integrated analysis of AVHRR imagery and geophysical data

Over last two decades, numerous studies have used remotely sensed data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensors to map land use and land cover at large spatial scales, but achieved only limited success. In this paper, we employed an approach that combines both AVHRR images and geophysical datasets (e.g. climate, elevation). Three geophysical datasets are used in this study: annual mean temperature, annual precipitation, and elevation. We first divide China into nine bio-climatic regions, using the long-term mean climate data. For each of nine regions, the three geophysical data layers are stacked together with AVHRR data and AVHRR-derived vegetation index (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data, and the resultant multi-source datasets were then analysed to generate land-cover maps for individual regions, using supervised classification algorithms. The nine land-cover maps for individual regions were assembled together for China. The existing land-cover dataset derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images was used to assess the accuracy of the classification that is based on AVHRR and geophysical data. Accuracy of individual regions varies from 73% to 89%, with an overall accuracy of 81% for China. The results showed that the methodology used in this study is, in general, feasible for large-scale land-cover mapping in China.

Tectonic geomorphology of the Ryukyu Trench-Arc-Backarc System: geological-geophysical exploration and mapping

OKINAWA TROUGH; BASIN

Geophysical signatures associated with fluid flow and gas hydrate occurrence in a tectonically quiescent sequence, Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea

Interpretation of high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) seismic data collected in the Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea reveals the presence of polygonal faults, pockmarks, gas chimneys and slope failure in strata of Pliocene and younger age. The gas chimneys are characterized by low-amplitude reflections, acoustic turbidity and low P-wave velocity indicating fluid expulsion pathways. Coherence time slices show that the polygonal faults are restricted to sediments with moderate-amplitude, continuous reflections. Gas hydrates are identified in seismic data by the presence of bottom simulating reflectors (BSRs), which have high amplitude, reverse polarity and are subparallel to seafloor. Mud diapirism and mounded structures have variable geometry and a great diversity regarding the origin of the fluid and the parent beds. The gas chimneys, mud diapirism, polygonal faults and a seismic facies-change facilitate the upward migration of thermogenic fluids from underlying sediments. Fluids can be temporarily trapped below the gas hydrate stability zone, but fluid advection may cause gas hydrate dissociation and affect the thickness of gas hydrate zone. The fluid accumulation leads to the generation of excess pore fluids that release along faults, forming pockmarks and mud volcanoes on the seafloor. These features are indicators of fluid flow in a tectonically-quiescent sequence, Qiongdongnan Basin. Geofluids (2010) 10, 351-368.

Geophysical evaluation methods for buried hill reservoirs in the Jiyang superdepression of the Bohai Bay basin, eastern China

The Jiyang superdepression is one of the richest hydrocarbon accumulations in the Bohai Bay basin, eastern China. Comprehensive seismic methods have been used in buried hill exploration in Jiyang to describe these fractured reservoirs better. Accurate seismic stratigraphic demarcation and variable-velocity mapping were applied to reveal the inner structure of the buried hills and determine the nature of the structural traps more precisely. Based on the analysis of rock properties and the characteristics of well-developed buried hill reservoirs, we have successfully linked the geology and seismic response by applying seismic forward technology. Log-constrained inversion, absorption coefficient analysis and tectonic forward-inversion with FMI loggings were applied to analyse and evaluate the buried hill reservoirs and gave satisfying results. The reservoir prediction was successful, which confirmed that the comprehensive utilization of these methods can be helpful in the exploration of buried hill reservoirs.

On SAR wind speed ambiguities and related geophysical model functions

Recent investigations show that normalized radar cross sections for C-band microwave sensors decrease under high wind conditions with certain incident angles instead of increase, as is the case for low to moderate wind speeds. This creates the problem of ambiguities in high wind speed retrievals from synthetic aperture radar (SAR). In the present work, four geophysical model functions (GMFs) are studied, namely the high wind C-band model 4 (CMOD4HW), C-band model 5 (CMOD5), the high wind vertical polarized GMF (HWGMF_VV), and the high wind horizontal polarized GMF (HWGMF_HH). Our focus is on model behaviours relative to wind speed ambiguities. We show that, except for CMOD4HW, the other GMFs exhibit the wind speed ambiguity problem. To consider this problem in high wind speed retrievals from SAR, we focus on hurricanes and propose a method to remove the speed ambiguity using the dominant hurricane wind structure.

油气藏自然电位异常与油气赋存的相关性研究

The Stack Spontaneous Potential (SSP) is a direct hydrocarbon location technology and a new hydrocarbon detection method with independent intellectual property. A subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation associated with the upward hydrocarbon micro seepage induces a relatively strong negative potential abnormal zone, of which the anomaly can be measured on the surface with specially designed instruments through careful field measuring procedures. With special software programmed according to a unique geochemical and geophysical model, the original data are analyzed, processed and interpreted on the computer, and then on a series of resulting anomaly distribution maps and/or profiles, the favorable surface locations of the hydrocarbon accumulations can be easily identified. The study of the SSP has been started since 1989, and especially from 1996 to 1997, both profile and area tests were conducted in the Daqing Oilfield. On the testing line of 15kms, there are 6 wells in total, among which some are oil-producing wells, and some are water-producing wells. The final matching ratio of the favorable oil well locations and the possible water well locations predicted by the SSP to those of known wells was up to 83 percent. In the area test, of which the acreage is 800 km2, the matching ratio compared with the existing wells was 87 percent; furthermore, regarding to wells subsequently drilled after the test, the matching ratio was 85 percent. The matching ratio in the development area is more about 10 percent than those of in exploration area. The reason is that, comparing the exploration area, the development area acreage is less and the container rocks are more simplex. In development area there is not so much interference of SSP also. Since 1997 the SSP has been tested and applied all over China to a number of hydrocarbon bearing basins and known oil fields, including the Daqing, Jiangsu, Changqing, Shengli, Nanyang, Jianghan and Zhongyuan Oilfields, only to name a few. The SSP surveys in total areas of over 10,000km2 in more than 30 regions in China so far have been completed in various exploration and development stages, the satisfactory outcomes of which have further evidenced that the dependence between the SP anomaly and abundance of hydrocarbon. Up to date, a substantial amount of successful tests and actual surveys finished in exploration and development practices have evidenced that the SSP is significantly more reliable in comparison with any other similar direct hydrocarbon indication technique generally known to the oil industry, such as the Redox. The SSP can be applied to search for almost all kinds of hydrocarbon accumulations, regardless of the type of traps, such as structural, stratigraphic, buried hill traps, and so on; however, it is interesting to be noted that the SSP seems to be particularly effective in detecting the stratigraphic oil traps according to our practices. On the other hand, there is virtually no surface geographical constrains in terms of field data acquisition, except for those water covered areas, because of the inherent characteristics of the technology itself. Furthermore, utilizing the SSP requires no special considerations to subsurface geological conditions in regard to formation resistivity, since the SSP measurements will not be influenced by either overly high or overly low resistivity of formations lying above the hydrocarbon accumulations. There are two kind of theory, of which, as we know one is called hypbyssal theory such as "Redox"[61 the other is call plutonic theory such as cracking of hydrocarbon [8][9] and natural polarization [3], to describe the mechanism of SP anomaly of oil reservoir and to indicate that the dependence between the SP abnormality and abundance of hydrocarbon has be existed theoretically/The quantitative dependence, which has not been founded due to the complicity of container rocks, be discovered during the exploration and development practices is the crux to the quantitative analysis of SP Anomaly processing. Based on the thorough study of the complex of collector rocks, every kind of thickness of collector rock can be conversed to be a standard effective thickness; the thickness is called apparent effective thickness (AET). The conversation coefficient (ai, 1=1,2,3) could be determined by the variety of every collector rock storability (CRS). The discoveration of quantitative: dependence between AET and the amplitude of SSP, in the practices of exploration and development, is a promotion for the SSP supplied in the oil exploration, and make the data analysis forward to the quantitative stage.