Recent progress in numerical methods and computer science allows us today to simulate the propagation of seismic waves through realistically heterogeneous Earth models with unprecedented accuracy. Full waveform tomography is a tomographic technique that takes advantage of numerical solutions of the elastic wave equation. The accuracy of the numerical solutions and the exploitation of complete waveform information result in tomographic images that are both more realistic and better resolved. This book develops and describes state of the art methodologies covering all aspects of full waveform tomography including methods for the numerical solution of the elastic wave equation, the adjoint method, the design of objective functionals and optimisation schemes. It provides a variety of case studies on all scales from local to global based on a large number of examples involving real data. It is a comprehensive reference on full waveform tomography for advanced students, researchers and professionals.

Recent progress in numerical methods and computer science allows us today to simulate the propagation of seismic waves through realistically heterogeneous Earth models with unprecedented accuracy. Full waveform tomography is a tomographic technique that takes advantage of numerical solutions of the elastic wave equation. The accuracy of the numerical solutions and the exploitation of complete waveform information result in tomographic images that are both more realistic and better resolved. This book develops and describes state of the art methodologies covering all aspects of full waveform tomography including methods for the numerical solution of the elastic wave equation, the adjoint method, the design of objective functionals and optimisation schemes. It provides a variety of case studies on all scales from local to global based on a large number of examples involving real data. It is a comprehensive reference on full waveform tomography for advanced students, researchers and professionals.

This book describes the theory and practice of inverting seismic data for the subsurface rock properties of the earth. The primary application is for inverting reflection and/or transmission data from engineering or exploration surveys, but the methods described also can be used for earthquake studies. Seismic Inversion will be of benefit to scientists and advanced students in engineering, earth sciences, and physics. It is desirable that the reader has some familiarity with certain aspects of numerical computation, such as finite-difference solutions to partial differential equations, numerical linear algebra, and the basic physics of wave propagation. For those not familiar with the terminology and methods of seismic exploration, a brief introduction is provided. To truly understand the nuances of seismic inversion, we have to actively practice what we preach (or teach). Therefore, computational labs are provided for most of the chapters, and some field data labs are given as well.

Seismic inversion aims to reconstruct a quantitative model of the Earth subsurface, by solving an inverse problem based on seismic measurements. There are at least three fundamental issues to be solved simultaneously: non-linearity, non-uniqueness, and instability. This book covers the basic theory and techniques used in seismic inversion, corresponding to these three issues, emphasising the physical interpretation of theoretical concepts and practical solutions. This book is written for master and doctoral students who need to understand the mathematical tools and the engineering aspects of the inverse problem needed to obtain geophysically meaningful solutions. Building on the basic theory of linear inverse problems, the methodologies of seismic inversion are explained in detail, including ray-impedance inversion and waveform tomography etc. The application methodologies are categorised into convolutional and wave-equation based groups. This systematic presentation simplifies the subject and enables an in-depth understanding of seismic inversion. This book also provides a practical guide to reservoir geophysicists who are attempting quantitative reservoir characterisation based on seismic data. Philosophically, the seismic inverse problem allows for a range of possible solutions, but the techniques described herein enable geophysicists to exclude models that cannot satisfy the available data. This book summarises the author’s extensive experience in both industry and academia and includes innovative techniques not previously published.

The decades following SEG's 1990 volume on numerical modeling showed a step change in the application and use of full wave equation modeling methods enabled by the increase in computational power. Full waveform inversion, reverse time migration, and 3D elastic finite-difference synthetic data generation are examples. A searchable CD is included.

An introductory text to a range of numerical methods used today to simulate time-dependent processes in Earth science, physics, engineering and many other fields. It looks under the hood of current simulation technology and provides guidelines on what to look out for when carrying out sophisticated simulation tasks.

This book provides a guide to understanding of seismograms for graduate students, researchers, professionals in academia and the petroleum industry.