New technologies convert the optical fiber cables into densely spaced sensors to monitor subsurface environments, such as temperature, pressure, and strain changes. Previous studies have demonstrated the strong potential of this technique in addressing multi-scale geoscience problems related to energy exploration, environmental hazards, and sustainability. Our energy exploration is experiencing a transition with increased production from complex geological reservoirs and unconventional resource reservoirs and new explorations for renewable energy, such as geothermal fields. The distributed optical fiber sensing has received wide applications due to its easy-to-deploy and dense-spacing features. With proper casing, fibers can be easily deployed in complex and harsh environments. With growing needs to address climate change and sustainability, distributed sensing has been used to monitor the critical zone – the thin near-surface layer with complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, and living organisms. Because this technique can adapt to harsh environments, it has also been used to monitor permafrost and glaciers in the arctic circle.
Utilizing existing fiber cables for tele-communication, the distributed sensing technique can convert these pre-existing infrastructures into densely spaced seismic channels, providing an efficient and effective way for either rapid response to environmental hazards (e.g., earthquakes, volcanoes) or real-time monitoring of smart city (e.g., traffic monitoring). Rapid development in monitoring leads to the rapid growth of data volume that imposes new challenges in data management and analyses. This warrants development of new approaches to efficiently identify patterns and extract useful information from massive quantities of observational data.
We welcome interested researchers from academia, government, and industry to submit papers. Potential topics include but are not limited to:
• Basic physical concept, the principle of hardware and measurement of distributed optical fiber sensing.
• Comprehensive review of the historical development of distributed optical fiber sensing and related technologies.
• Application of distributed optical fiber sensing in energy geosciences, such as hydrocarbon, geothermal, mining, or carbon capture, and sequestration.
• Application of distributed optical fiber sensing in geohazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, or volcanoes, and geoengineering.
• Application of distributed optical fiber sensing in environmental and near-surface geophysics and applications to the critical zone.
• Application of distributed sensing in traffic monitoring and smart cities.
Topic editor Dr. Ge Zhan is employed by TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.
New technologies convert the optical fiber cables into densely spaced sensors to monitor subsurface environments, such as temperature, pressure, and strain changes. Previous studies have demonstrated the strong potential of this technique in addressing multi-scale geoscience problems related to energy exploration, environmental hazards, and sustainability. Our energy exploration is experiencing a transition with increased production from complex geological reservoirs and unconventional resource reservoirs and new explorations for renewable energy, such as geothermal fields. The distributed optical fiber sensing has received wide applications due to its easy-to-deploy and dense-spacing features. With proper casing, fibers can be easily deployed in complex and harsh environments. With growing needs to address climate change and sustainability, distributed sensing has been used to monitor the critical zone – the thin near-surface layer with complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, and living organisms. Because this technique can adapt to harsh environments, it has also been used to monitor permafrost and glaciers in the arctic circle.
Utilizing existing fiber cables for tele-communication, the distributed sensing technique can convert these pre-existing infrastructures into densely spaced seismic channels, providing an efficient and effective way for either rapid response to environmental hazards (e.g., earthquakes, volcanoes) or real-time monitoring of smart city (e.g., traffic monitoring). Rapid development in monitoring leads to the rapid growth of data volume that imposes new challenges in data management and analyses. This warrants development of new approaches to efficiently identify patterns and extract useful information from massive quantities of observational data.
We welcome interested researchers from academia, government, and industry to submit papers. Potential topics include but are not limited to:
• Basic physical concept, the principle of hardware and measurement of distributed optical fiber sensing.
• Comprehensive review of the historical development of distributed optical fiber sensing and related technologies.
• Application of distributed optical fiber sensing in energy geosciences, such as hydrocarbon, geothermal, mining, or carbon capture, and sequestration.
• Application of distributed optical fiber sensing in geohazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, or volcanoes, and geoengineering.
• Application of distributed optical fiber sensing in environmental and near-surface geophysics and applications to the critical zone.
• Application of distributed sensing in traffic monitoring and smart cities.
Topic editor Dr. Ge Zhan is employed by TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.