Automated Hierarchical 3D Modeling of Quaternary Aquifers: The ArchPy Approach
When modeling groundwater systems in Quaternary formations, one of the first steps is to construct a geological and petrophysical model. This is often cumbersome because it requires multiple manual steps which include geophysical interpretation, construction of a structural model, and identification...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.884075/full |
| _version_ | 1818252933408489472 |
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| author | Ludovic Schorpp Julien Straubhaar Philippe Renard Philippe Renard |
| author_facet | Ludovic Schorpp Julien Straubhaar Philippe Renard Philippe Renard |
| author_sort | Ludovic Schorpp |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | When modeling groundwater systems in Quaternary formations, one of the first steps is to construct a geological and petrophysical model. This is often cumbersome because it requires multiple manual steps which include geophysical interpretation, construction of a structural model, and identification of geostatistical model parameters, facies, and property simulations. Those steps are often carried out using different software, which makes the automation intractable or very difficult. A non-automated approach is time-consuming and makes the model updating difficult when new data are available or when some geological interpretations are modified. Furthermore, conducting a cross-validation procedure to assess the overall quality of the models and quantifying the joint structural and parametric uncertainty are tedious. To address these issues, we propose a new approach and a Python module, ArchPy, to automatically generate realistic geological and parameter models. One of its main features is that the modeling operates in a hierarchical manner. The input data consist of a set of borehole data and a stratigraphic pile. The stratigraphic pile describes how the model should be constructed formally and in a compact manner. It contains the list of the different stratigraphic units and their order in the pile, their conformability (eroded or onlap), the surface interpolation method (e.g., kriging, sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS), and multiple-point statistics (MPS)), the filling method for the lithologies (e.g., MPS and sequential indicator simulation (SIS)), and the petrophysical properties (e.g., MPS and SGS). Then, the procedure is automatic. In a first step, the stratigraphic unit boundaries are simulated. Second, they are filled with lithologies, and finally, the petrophysical properties are simulated inside the lithologies. All these steps are straightforward and automated once the stratigraphic pile and its related parameters have been defined. Hence, this approach is extremely flexible. The automation provides a framework to generate end-to-end stochastic models and then the proposed method allows for uncertainty quantification at any level and may be used for full inversion. In this work, ArchPy is illustrated using data from an alpine Quaternary aquifer in the upper Aare plain (southeast of Bern, Switzerland). |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T16:32:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5f2e775e0cd04e9ba3c2d49705734df3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T16:32:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-5f2e775e0cd04e9ba3c2d49705734df32022-12-22T00:18:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632022-05-011010.3389/feart.2022.884075884075Automated Hierarchical 3D Modeling of Quaternary Aquifers: The ArchPy ApproachLudovic Schorpp0Julien Straubhaar1Philippe Renard 2Philippe Renard 3Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandCentre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandCentre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandDepartment of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayWhen modeling groundwater systems in Quaternary formations, one of the first steps is to construct a geological and petrophysical model. This is often cumbersome because it requires multiple manual steps which include geophysical interpretation, construction of a structural model, and identification of geostatistical model parameters, facies, and property simulations. Those steps are often carried out using different software, which makes the automation intractable or very difficult. A non-automated approach is time-consuming and makes the model updating difficult when new data are available or when some geological interpretations are modified. Furthermore, conducting a cross-validation procedure to assess the overall quality of the models and quantifying the joint structural and parametric uncertainty are tedious. To address these issues, we propose a new approach and a Python module, ArchPy, to automatically generate realistic geological and parameter models. One of its main features is that the modeling operates in a hierarchical manner. The input data consist of a set of borehole data and a stratigraphic pile. The stratigraphic pile describes how the model should be constructed formally and in a compact manner. It contains the list of the different stratigraphic units and their order in the pile, their conformability (eroded or onlap), the surface interpolation method (e.g., kriging, sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS), and multiple-point statistics (MPS)), the filling method for the lithologies (e.g., MPS and sequential indicator simulation (SIS)), and the petrophysical properties (e.g., MPS and SGS). Then, the procedure is automatic. In a first step, the stratigraphic unit boundaries are simulated. Second, they are filled with lithologies, and finally, the petrophysical properties are simulated inside the lithologies. All these steps are straightforward and automated once the stratigraphic pile and its related parameters have been defined. Hence, this approach is extremely flexible. The automation provides a framework to generate end-to-end stochastic models and then the proposed method allows for uncertainty quantification at any level and may be used for full inversion. In this work, ArchPy is illustrated using data from an alpine Quaternary aquifer in the upper Aare plain (southeast of Bern, Switzerland).https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.884075/fullautomated modelinggeological modelingstochastichierarchyQuaternaryPython |
| spellingShingle | Ludovic Schorpp Julien Straubhaar Philippe Renard Philippe Renard Automated Hierarchical 3D Modeling of Quaternary Aquifers: The ArchPy Approach Frontiers in Earth Science automated modeling geological modeling stochastic hierarchy Quaternary Python |
| title | Automated Hierarchical 3D Modeling of Quaternary Aquifers: The ArchPy Approach |
| title_full | Automated Hierarchical 3D Modeling of Quaternary Aquifers: The ArchPy Approach |
| title_fullStr | Automated Hierarchical 3D Modeling of Quaternary Aquifers: The ArchPy Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Automated Hierarchical 3D Modeling of Quaternary Aquifers: The ArchPy Approach |
| title_short | Automated Hierarchical 3D Modeling of Quaternary Aquifers: The ArchPy Approach |
| title_sort | automated hierarchical 3d modeling of quaternary aquifers the archpy approach |
| topic | automated modeling geological modeling stochastic hierarchy Quaternary Python |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.884075/full |
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