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At least 127 records · Page 7

Locating Undocumented Wells Using Historical Oil and Gas Exploration Maps: A Case Study in Osage County, Oklahoma

Undocumented oil and gas wells lack reliable information about their locations and characteristics, making them difficult to identify. These wells can result in unanticipated delays and costs in the development of nearby surface and subsurface resources, and, if improperly plugged, can cause contamination. This study leverages historical petroleum exploration maps to locate such wells, focusing on Osage County, Oklahoma. Two sets of early 20th century oil and gas exploration maps by the United States Geological Survey were georeferenced and analyzed using a computer vision model to detect well symbols. The locations of detected wells were compared to the location of known wells in the database from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Osage Agency to identify potential undocumented wells. The analysis yielded over 500 potential undocumented wells, with dry holes constituting the largest fraction. Field verification confirmed the presence of some undocumented wells. Comparison with prior work revealed limited overlap, underscoring the complementary value of historical oil and gas maps for locating undocumented wells. This approach demonstrates the utility of integrating historical cartographic resources with modern geospatial and machine learning techniques to improve the identification and management of undocumented wells.

Energy - Petroleum↗

Lightning mapping system

A Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) System is being implemented at KSC in Florida. The first operational use is expected in the late summer of 1991. The system is designed to map the location of in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning based on the time of arrival (TOA) of electromagnetic radiation. The system detects very high frequency (VHF) radiation and designed to map the volumetric extent of lightning. The system implements two independent antenna arrays to provide a fast data quality check, as necessary for a real-time warning system. The system performance goals and a comparison with a similar system implemented in the mid-1970's is made.

Lennon, C.↗

Neutron Gamma LAMP Software version 1

The Localization and Mapping Platform (LAMP) software fuses radiation and contextual data to produce 3-D maps that locate and identify gamma-ray emitting sources in complex environments. It enables data collection, fusion, and processing onboard the LAMP system in handheld configurations, and enables near-real-time 3-D mapping from onboard an unmanned aerial system (UAS). This software enables a real-time 3-D gamma-ray mapping capability that is not available commercially. This software disclosure is for a new simultaneous gamma-ray and neutron mapping software update to the original LAMP software.

Cates, Joshua↗

Localization and Mapping Platform Software (LAMP) v3

The Localization and Mapping Platform (LAMP) software fuses radiation and contextual data to produce 3-D maps that locate and identify gamma-ray emitting sources in complex environments. It enables data collection, fusion, and processing onboard the LAMP system in handheld configurations, and enables near-real-time 3-D mapping from onboard an unmanned aerial system (UAS). This software enables a real-time 3-D gamma-ray mapping capability that is not available commercially.

Joshi, Tenzing↗

Mapping The Ancient Maya Landscape From Space

The Peten region of northern Guatemala is one of the last places on earth where major archeological sites remain to be discovered. It was in this region that the Maya civilization began, flourished, and abruptly disappeared. Remote sensing technology is helping to locate and map ancient Maya sites that are threatened today by accelerating deforestation and looting. Thematic Mapper and IKONOS satellite and airborne Star3-I radar data, combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, are successfully detecting ancient Maya features such as cities, roadways, canals, and water reservoirs. Satellite imagery is also being used to map the bajos, which are seasonally flooded swamps that cover over 40% of the land surface. The use of bajos for farming has been a source of debate within the professional community for many years. But the recent detection and verification of cultural features within the bajo system by our research team are providing conclusive evidence that the ancient Maya had adapted well to wetland environments from the earliest times and utilized them until the time of the Maya collapse. The use of the bajos for farming is also an important resource for the future of the current inhabitants who are experiencing rapid population growth. Remote sensing imagery is also demonstrating that in the Preclassic period (600 BC- AD 250), the Maya had already achieved a high organizational level as evidenced by the construction of massive temples and an elaborate inter-connecting roadway system. Although they experienced several setbacks such as droughts and hurricanes, the Maya nevertheless managed the delicate forest ecosystem successfully for several centuries. However, around AD 800, something happened to the Maya to cause their rapid decline and eventual disappearance from the region. The evidence indicates that at this time there was increased climatic dryness, extensive deforestation, overpopulation, and widespread warfare. This raises a question that is relevant to the contemporary world-namely, how severe do internal stresses in a civilization have to become before relatively minor climate shifts can trigger a widespread cultural collapse?

Sever, Tom↗

Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle Surveys at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Site 300

This report describes the results of a visual survey conducted in 2020 to determine the potential presence of the federally listed Threatened Valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB; Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) and the quantity and quality of its host plant, blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea) on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Experimental Test Site, known as Site 300. In addition, an area located immediately southeast of Site 300, which is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), but secured by LLNL, was also included in this survey. This report will refer to the survey areas as the LLNL-Site 300 and the CDFW site. The 2020 survey included mapping the locations of elderberry plants that were observed using a global positioning system (GPS) to obtain positional coordinates for every elderberry plant at Site 300 and the CDFW site. In addition, observations of VELB emergence holes on elderberry plants were also mapped using GPS.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Joint Inversion of Surface Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Seismic Refraction Data between the 200 Areas

Geologic stratigraphy on the Hanford Site influences groundwater and contaminant migration through the aquifer system and the vadose zone. The current geologic framework model (GFM) relies heavily on a sparse distribution of borehole data in some locations to map geologic contacts and hydrologic properties in the subsurface. Non-invasive geophysical methods such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), transient electromagnetic surveying, and seismic imaging are being used at Hanford to map subsurface structure in areas with limited well observations. This is to develop and mature the capability of geophysical methods to aid in GFM refinement, to identify regions of subsurface complexity, and for optimal well siting. A joint inversion of co-located seismic refraction and ERT data was carried out for data collected on a ~2.3-km profile between the 200 Areas on the Hanford Site. While ERT and seismic refraction images have sensitivity to overlapping physical properties (porosity, moisture content, lithology), the resolution and physics used to acquire each of these datasets are different and therefore information can be different or mutually complementary. Performing a joint inversion provides a reasonable option for a coherent, coupled interpretation for mutually complementary datasets. Between the 200 Areas, there are few boreholes to interpret the geologic framework model, and these data sets were obtained to provide a first line of evidence toward identifying stratigraphic structure. The seismic refraction and ERT data were independently inverted during fiscal year 2022 and broadly showed a two-layer structure with a trough-like feature that is ~1 km wide and upwards of 150 m deep. The depth of the trough feature was greater in the ERT image compared to the seismic image, which indicated a maximum depth of approximately 110 m. The objective of the joint inversion described in this report was to invert the seismic refraction and ERT data together while constraining the ERT image to be structurally similar to the seismic refraction image. The approach was applied using the geophysical inverse modeling program E4D, which has the capability to invert first-arrival times from seismic refraction data and ERT resistances using a “cross-gradient” constraint. The application of cross-gradient constraints with different weights produces ERT models that show a high degree of similarity within the upper 100 m (above ~120 m elevation). None of the ERT models show an improved structural similarity to the seismic result; therefore, it is recommended that further attempts to jointly interpret these models focus on petrophysics and image resolution. Petrophysical measurements of core samples would improve knowledge of what drives the ERT response in this region and, along with downhole geophysical measurements, could be used to “ground truth” the surface-based geophysical results. Image resolution studies would provide insight into which regions of the inverted images are reliable and which regions are poorly constrained.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Mapping Patterns of Ipsilateral Supraclavicular Nodal Metastases in Breast Cancer: Rethinking the Clinical Target Volume for High-risk Patients

Purpose: To map the location of metastatic supraclavicular (SCV) lymph nodes (LNMs) in breast cancer patients with SCV node involvement and determine whether and where the radiation therapy clinical target volume (CTV) of this region could be modified in high-risk subsets. Methods and Materials: Fifty-five patients with metastatic SCV LNMs were eligible for geographic mapping and atlas coverage analysis. All LNMs and their epicenters were registered proportionally by referencing the surrounding landmarks onto simulation computed tomography images of a standard patient. CTVs based on selected SCV atlases, including the one by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) were contoured. A modified SCV CTV was tried and shown to have better involved-node coverage and thus theoretically improved prophylaxis in this setting. Results: A total of 50 (91%) and 45 (81.8%) patients had LNMs in the medial and lateral SCV subregions, respectively. Also, 36 patients (65.5%) had LNMs located at the junction of the jugular-subclavian veins. All nodes were covered in only 25.5% to 41.8% of patients by different atlases. The RTOG atlas covered all nodes in 25.5% of patients. Stratified by the nodes in all the patients as a whole, 49.2% to 81.3% were covered, and the RTOG atlas covered 62.6%. The lateral and posterior borders were the most overlooked locations. Modification by extending the borders to natural anatomic barriers allowed the new CTV to cover all the nodes in 81.8% of patients and encompass 96.1% of all the nodes. Conclusions: According to the distribution of SCV LNMs, the extent of existing atlases might not be adequate for potential metastatic sites in certain groups of patients. The extension of the lateral and posterior CTV borders in high-risk or recurrent patients might be a reasonable approach for increasing coverage. However, additional data in more homogeneous populations with localized disease are needed before routine application.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Spatially Distributed Ramp Reversal Memory in VO 2

Ramp‐reversal memory has recently been discovered in several insulator‐to‐metal transition materials where a non‐volatile resistance change can be set by repeatedly driving the material partway through the transition. This study uses optical microscopy to track the location and internal structure of accumulated memory as a thin film of VO 2 is temperature cycled through multiple training subloops. These measurements reveal that the gain of insulator phase fraction between consecutive subloops occurs primarily through front propagation at the insulator‐metal boundaries. By analyzing transition temperature maps, it is found, surprisingly, that the memory is also stored deep inside both insulating and metallic clusters throughout the entire sample, making the metal‐insulator coexistence landscape more rugged. This non‐volatile memory is reset after heating the sample to higher temperatures, as expected. Diffusion of point defects is proposed to account for the observed memory writing and subsequent erasing over the entire sample surface. By spatially mapping the location and character of non‐volatile memory encoding in VO 2 , this study results enable the targeting of specific local regions in the film where the full insulator‐to‐metal resistivity change can be harnessed in order to maximize the working range of memory elements for conventional and neuromorphic computing applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Extremely Low Passive Microwave Brightness Temperatures Due to Thunderstorms

Extreme events by their nature fall outside the bounds of routine experience. With imperfect or ambiguous measuring systems, it is appropriate to question whether an unusual measurement represents an extreme event or is the result of instrument errors or other sources of noise. About three weeks after the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite began collecting data in Dec 1997, a thunderstorm was observed over northern Argentina with 85 GHz brightness temperatures below 50 K and 37 GHz brightness temperatures below 70 K (Zipser et al. 2006). These values are well below what had previously been observed from satellite sensors with lower resolution. The 37 GHz brightness temperatures are also well below those measured by TRMM for any other storm in the subsequent 16 years. Without corroborating evidence, it would be natural to suspect a problem with the instrument, or perhaps an irregularity with the platform during the first weeks of the satellite mission. Automated quality control flags or other procedures in retrieval algorithms could treat these measurements as errors, because they fall outside the expected bounds. But the TRMM satellite also carries a radar and a lightning sensor, both confirming the presence of an intense thunderstorm. The radar recorded 40+ dBZ reflectivity up to about 19 km altitude. More than 200 lightning flashes per minute were recorded. That same storm's 19 GHz brightness temperatures below 150 K would normally be interpreted as the result of a low-emissivity water surface (e.g., a lake, or flood waters) if not for the simultaneous measurements of such intense convection. This paper will examine records from TRMM and related satellite sensors including SSMI, AMSR-E, and the new GMI to find the strongest signatures resulting from thunderstorms, and distinguishing those from sources of noise. The lowest brightness temperatures resulting from thunderstorms as seen by TRMM have been in Argentina in November and December. For SSMI sensors carried on five DMSP satellites examined so far, the lowest thunderstorm-related brightness temperatures have been from Argentina in November - December and from Minnesota in June-July. The Minnesota cases were associated with spotter reports of large hail, significant severe wind, and tornadoes. Those locations have the record-holders for each satellite. The lowest AMSR-E 36.5 GHz brightness temperatures associated with deep convection have been in Argentina; the lowest 89.0 GHz brightness temperatures were from Typhoon Bolaven in the Philippine Sea. This paper will show examples of cases with the lowest brightness temperatures, and map the locations of these and other storms with brightness temperatures nearly as low. The study is largely motivated by the new GMI sensor on the Global Precipitation Mission core satellite, launched in February 2014, with its high resolution expected to reveal unprecedented low brightness temperatures when extreme events are encountered.

Cecil, Daniel J.↗

Colorado & New Mexico Water Resources: Mapping Wetland and Riparian Areas to Support Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Habitat Restoration

Over the last century, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis; RGCT) population has declined significantly due to habitat loss, competition, and hybridization with non-native trout species; the species currently occupies roughly 11% of its historic habitat. Conservation efforts led by governmental and private actors have succeeded in increasing RGCT populations since the early 2000s. Vermejo Park Ranch, a privately owned 560,000-acre property, partnered with US Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to begin the largest native trout restoration initiative in North America. Since 2002, these efforts have included wetland and riparian area restoration and RGCT reintroduction. Current restoration efforts focus on restoring the Costilla Creek Watershed to provide cool water temperatures, improve water quality, and create the necessary habitat requirements for the trout species. To guide these restoration efforts, the Colorado – Fort Collins NASA DEVELOP team produced maps to locate and characterize wetland and riparian areas in the Costilla Creek watershed. The team utilized NASA data from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), as well as Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI), Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and additional ancillary data for May 2016 to October 2019. In order to produce probability maps of wetland presence, the team used the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM) incorporating predictor variables generated from topographic indices, spectral indices, and radar. The resulting maps allowed Vermejo Ranch and CPW to determine the extent of possible RGCT habitat and identify where habitat restoration efforts may be needed.

Water Resources↗

Utah FORGE: Rock Properties

This is an Excel spreadsheet that contains rock properties from several wells in the Utah FORGE study area. This includes a map of the wells. Data is described in the Final Topical Report included in the resources below.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Colorado & New Mexico Water Resources: Mapping Wetland and Riparian Areas to Support Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Habitat Restoration

Over the last century, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis; RGCT) population has declined significantly due to habitat loss, competition, and hybridization with non-native trout species; the species currently occupies roughly 11% of its historic habitat. Conservation efforts led by governmental and private actors have succeeded in increasing RGCT populations since the early 2000s. Vermejo Park Ranch, a privately owned 560,000-acre property, partnered with US Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to begin the largest native trout restoration initiative in North America. Since 2002, these efforts have included wetland and riparian area restoration and RGCT reintroduction. Current restoration efforts focus on restoring the Costilla Creek Watershed to provide cool water temperatures, improve water quality, and create the necessary habitat requirements for the trout species. To guide these restoration efforts, the Colorado –Fort Collins NASA DEVELOP team produced maps to locate and characterize wetland and riparian areas in the Costilla Creek watershed. The team utilized NASA data from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager, and Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper in conjunction with Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument, Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar, and additional ancillary data for May 2016 to October 2019. In order to produce probability maps of wetland presence, the team used the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM) incorporating predictor variables generated from topographic indices, spectral indices, and radar. The resulting maps allowed Vermejo Ranch and CPW to determine the extent of possible RGCT habitat and identify where habitat restoration efforts are needed.

Health & Air Quality↗

Ice Surface Morphology and Flow on Malaspina Glacier, Alaska: Implications for Regional Tectonics in the Saint Elias Orogen

The Saint Elias Mountains in southern Alaska are located at a structural syntaxis where the coastal thrust and fold belt of the Fairweather plate boundary intersects thrust faults and folds generated by collision of the Yakutat Terrane. The axial trace of this syntaxis extends southeastward out of the Saint Elias Mountains and beneath Malaspina Glacier where it is hidden from view and cannot be mapped using conventional methods. Here we examine the surface morphology and flow patterns of Malaspina Glacier to infer characteristics of the bedrock topography and organization of the syntaxis. Faults and folds beneath the eastern part of the glacier trend northwest and reflect dextral transpression near the terminus of the Fairweather fault system. Those beneath the western part of the glacier trend northeast and accommodate folding and thrust faulting during collision and accretion of the Yakutat Terrane. Mapping the location and geometry of the structural syntaxis provides important constraints on spatial variations in seismicity, fault kinematics, and crustal shortening beneath Malaspina Glacier, as well as the position of the collisional deformation front within the Yakutat Terrane. We also speculate that the geometrical complexity of intersecting faults within the syntaxis formed a barrier to rupture propagation during two regional Mw 8.1earthquakes in September 1899.

ice velocities↗

Spatial consistency of Chinook salmon redd distribution within and among years in the Cowlitz River, Washington

We investigated the spawning patterns of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha on the lower Cowlitz River, Washington (USA) using a unique set of fine- and coarse-scale 35 temporal and spatial data collected during bi-weekly aerial surveys conducted in 1991-2009 (500 m to 28 km resolution) and 2008-2009 (100-500 m resolution). Redd locations were mapped from a helicopter during 2008 and 2009 with a hand-held global positioning system (GPS) synchronized with in-flight audio recordings. We examined spatial patterns of Chinook salmon redd reoccupation among and within years in relation to segment-scale geomorphic features. Chinook salmon spawned in the same sections each year with little variation among years. On a coarse scale, five years (1993, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2009) were compared for reoccupation. Redd locations were highly correlated among years resulting in a minimum correlation coefficient of 0.90 (adjusted P = 0.002). Comparisons on a fine scale (500 m) between 2008 and 2009 also revealed a high degree of consistency among redd locations (P < 0.001). On a finer temporal scale, we observed that salmon spawned in the same sections during the first and last week (2008: P < 0.02; and 2009: P < 0.001). Redds were clustered in both 2008 and 2009 (P < 0.001). Regression analysis with a generalized linear model at the 500-m scale indicated that river kilometer and channel bifurcation were positively associated with redd density, whereas sinuosity was negatively associated with redd density. Collecting data on specific redd locations with a GPS during aerial surveys was logistically feasible and cost effective and greatly enhanced the spatial precision of Chinook salmon spawning surveys.

habitat management↗

Mapping crown rust resistance in the oat diploid accession PI 258731 ( Avena strigosa )

Oat crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata Corda f. sp. avenae Eriks. (Pca), is a major biotic impediment to global oat production. Crown rust resistance has been described in oat diploid species A. strigosa accession PI 258731 and resistance from this accession has been successfully introgressed into hexaploid A. sativa germplasm. The current study focuses on 1) mapping the location of QTL containing resistance and evaluating the number of quantitative trait loci (QTL) conditioning resistance in PI 258731; 2) understanding the relationship between the original genomic location in A. strigosa and the location of the introgression in the A. sativa genome; 3) identifying molecular markers tightly linked with PI 258731 resistance loci that could be used for marker assisted selection and detection of this resistance in diverse A. strigosa accessions. To achieve this, A. strigosa accessions, PI 258731 and PI 573582 were crossed to produce 168 F5:6 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) through single seed descent. Parents and RILs were genotyped with the 6K Illumina SNP array which generated 168 segregating SNPs. Seedling reactions to two isolates of Pca (races TTTG, QTRG) were conditioned by two genes (0.6 cM apart) in this population. Linkage mapping placed these two resistant loci to 7.7 (QTRG) to 8 (TTTG) cM region on LG7. Field reaction data was used for QTL analysis and the results of interval mapping (MIM) revealed a major QTL (QPc.FD-AS-AA4) for field resistance. SNP marker assays were developed and tested in 125 diverse A. strigosa accessions that were rated for crown rust resistance in Baton Rouge, LA and Gainesville, FL and as seedlings against races TTTG and QTRG. Our data proposed SNP marker GMI_ES17_c6425_188 as a candidate for use in marker-assisted selection, in addition to the marker GMI_ES02_c37788_255 suggested by Rine’s group, which provides an additional tool in facilitating the utilization of this gene in oat breeding programs.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Spatial and Alignment Analyses for a field of Small Volcanic Vents South of Pavonis Mons Mars

The Tharsis province of Mars displays a variety of small volcanic vent (10s krn in diameter) morphologies. These features were identified in Mariner and Viking images [1-4], and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data show them to be more abundant than originally observed [5,6]. Recent studies are classifying their diverse morphologies [7-9]. Building on this work, we are mapping the location of small volcanic vents (small-vents) in the Tharsis province using MOLA, Thermal Emission Imaging System, and High Resolution Stereo Camera data [10]. Here we report on a preliminary study of the spatial and alignment relationships between small-vents south of Pavonis Mons, as determined by nearest neighbor and two-point azimuth statistical analyses. Terrestrial monogenetic volcanic fields display four fundamental characteristics: 1) recurrence rates of eruptions,2 ) vent abundance, 3) vent distribution, and 4) tectonic relationships [11]. While understanding recurrence rates typically requires field measurements, insight into vent abundance, distribution, and tectonic relationships can be established by mapping of remotely sensed data, and subsequent application of spatial statistical studies [11,12], the goal of which is to link the distribution of vents to causal processes.

Bleacher, J. E.↗

Method and apparatus for mapping the distribution of chemical elements in an extended medium

Contaminants in an extended medium such as the wall of a building are mapped by locating neutron excitation source on one side of the wall and a gamma ray spectrometer, including a gamma ray detector on the opposite side of the wall facing the excitation source. The source and detector are moved in unison in discrete steps over opposing wall surfaces so as to determine the chemical composition of the elements in a hemispheric region of the wall adjacent the detector with the radius of the region being substantially that of the mean free path distance of gamma rays emitted from elements interacting with neutrons on the detector side of the wall. The source and detector are reversed for relatively thick walls for mapping the distribution of elements on the other side of the wall thickness. The output of the detector is fed to a multichannel pulse height analyzer where the intensity of the various gamma ray spectral lines are indicated relative to a dominant constituent element such as silicon. Resolution of anomalies such as the presence of voids and/or determining the bulk density of the medium is achieved by substituting a gamma ray source technique is also applied to metal alloys, such as iron alloys, in either the solid or molten state.

Evans, L. G.↗