Maximum A Posteriori Resampling of Noisy, Spatially Correlated Data

In any geologic application, noisy data are sources of consternation for researchers, inhibiting interpretability and marring images with unsightly and unrealistic artifacts. Filtering is the typical solution to dealing with noisy data. However, filtering commonly suffers from ad hoc (i.e., uncalibrated, ungoverned) application. We present here an alternative to filtering: a newly developed method for correcting noise in data by finding the “best” value given available information. The motivating rationale is that data points that are close to each other in space cannot differ by “too much,” where “too much” is governed by the field covariance. Data with large uncertainties will frequently violate this condition and therefore ought to be corrected, or “resampled.” Our solution for resampling is determined by the maximum of the a posteriori density function defined by the intersection of (1) the data error probability density function (pdf) and (2) the conditional pdf, determined by the geostatistical kriging algorithm applied to proximal data values. A maximum a posteriori solution can be computed sequentially going through all the data, but the solution depends on the order in which the data are examined. We approximate the global a posteriori solution by randomizing this order and taking the average. A test with a synthetic data set sampled from a known field demonstrates quantitatively and qualitatively the improvement provided by the maximum a posteriori resampling algorithm. The method is also applied to three marine geology/geophysics data examples, demonstrating the viability of the method for diverse applications: (1) three generations of bathymetric data on the New Jersey shelf with disparate data uncertainties; (2) mean grain size data from the Adriatic Sea, which is a combination of both analytic (low uncertainty) and word-based (higher uncertainty) sources; and (3) side-scan backscatter data from the Martha\u27s Vineyard Coastal Observatory which are, as is typical for such data, affected by speckle noise. Compared to filtering, maximum a posteriori resampling provides an objective and optimal method for reducing noise, and better preservation of the statistical properties of the sampled field. The primary disadvantage is that maximum a posteriori resampling is a computationally expensive procedure

Swath Mapping on the Continental Shelf and Slope: The Eel River Basin, Northern California

First Paragraph The STRATAFORM program sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (Nittrouer and Kravitz, 1996, this issue) seeks to understand how sedimentary processes lead to the formation of the stratigraphic sequences on continental margins. A central challenge facing this effort is to understand the transport of sediments in shore-parallel as well as shore-perpendicular directions• Multidimensionality is necessary to describe, for example, the accumulation of sediments from river inputs, the distribution of gullies and canyons on the slope, the meandering of channels, and the structure of slumps and slides

Multiscale spectral analysis of bathymetry on the flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge : modification of the seafloor by mass wasting and sedimentation

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 1997. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 102, no. B7 (1997): 15447–15462, doi:10.1029/97JB00723.The results of a multiscale spectral analysis of bathymetric data on the flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are described. Data were collected during two cruises using Hydrosweep multibeam (tens of kilometers to ∼0.2 km scale range) and Mesotech scanning pencil-beam sonar attached to remotely operated vehicle Jason (∼1 km to ∼0.5 m scale range). These data are augmented by visual data which enabled us to identify bathymetric profiles which are over unsedimented or thinly sedimented crust. Our analysis, therefore, is focused primarily on statistical characterization of basement morphology. Work is concentrated at two sites: site B on ∼24 Ma crust in an outside-corner setting, and site D on ∼3 Ma crust in an inside-corner setting. At site B we find that an anisotropic, band-limited fractal model (i.e., the “von Kármán” model proposed for abyssal hill morphology by Goff and Jordan [1988]) is not sufficient to describe the full range of scales observed in this study. Our observations differ from this model in two ways: (1) strike and cross-strike (dip) spectral properties converge for wavelengths smaller than ∼300 m, and (2) in both strike and dip directions the fractal dimension changes at ∼10 m wavelength, from ∼1.27 at larger scales to ∼1.0 at smaller scales. The convergence of strike and dip spectral properties appears to be associated with destruction of ridge-parallel fault scarps by mass wasting, which develops canyon-like incisions that cross scarps at high angles. The change in fractal dimension at ∼10 m scale appears to be related to a minimum spacing of significant slope breaks associated with scarps which are created by faulting and mass wasting. At site D, although there is no significant abyssal hill anisotropy, the spectral properties at all scales are consistent with the von Kármán model. The fractal dimension at this site (∼1.15) is less than at site B. This difference may be reflect different morphology related to crustal formation at inside-corner versus outside-corner position or, more likely, differences in the degree of mass wasting. The smoothing of seafloor morphology by sediments is evident in Hydrosweep periodograms where, relative to basement roughness, spectral power decreases progressively with decreasing wavelength.This work was supported under ONR grants N00014-94-1-0197 and N00014-96-1-0462 (J.A.G.) and N00014-90-J-1621 and N00014-94-1-0466 (B.E.T.)

Abyssal hill characterization at the ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge

International audienceThe morphology of the flanks of the Southwest Indian Ridge holds a record of seafloor formationand abyssal hill generation at an ultraslow spreading rate. Statistical analysis of compiled bathymetry andgravity data from the flanks of the Southwest Indian Ridge from 54°E to 67°E provides estimates of abyssalhill morphologic character and inferred crustal thickness. The extent of the compiled data encompasses aspreading rate change from slow to ultraslow at 24 Ma, a significant inferred variation in sub-axis mantletemperature, and a patchwork of volcanic and non-volcanic seafloor, making the Southwest Indian Ridge anideal and unique location to characterize abyssal hills generated by ultraslow spreading and to examine theeffect of dramatic spreading rate change on seafloor morphology. Root mean square abyssal hill height inultraslow spreading seafloor ranges from 280 m to 320 m and is on average 80 m greater than foundfor slow-spreading seafloor. Ultraslow spreading abyssal hill width ranges from 4 km to 12 km, averaging8 km. Abyssal hill height and width increases west-to-east in both slow and ultraslow spreadingseafloor, corresponding to decreasing inferred mantle temperature. Abyssal hills persist in non-volcanic seafloorand extend continuously from volcanic to non-volcanic terrains. We attribute the increase of abyssalhill height and width to strengthening of the mantle portion of the lithosphere as the result of cooler subaxialmantle temperature and conclude that abyssal hill height is primarily controlled by the strength ofthe mantle component of the lithosphere rather than spreading rate

Quantitative analysis of abyssal hills in the Atlantic Ocean : a correlation between inferred crustal thickness and extensional faulting

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 1995. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 100, no. B11 (1995): 22509–22522, doi:10.1029/95JB02510.A recent cruise to the Office of Naval Research Atlantic Natural Laboratory obtained ∼100% Hydrosweep bathymetrie coverage, >200% Hawaii MRl (HMRl) side scan coverage, gravity and magnetics over an area spanning three ridge segments along axis (∼25°25′N to ∼27°10′N), and crustal ages from 0 to 26–30 Ma (∼400 km) on the west flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This data set represents a first opportunity for an extensive regional analysis of abyssal hill morphology created at a slow spreading ridge. The primary purpose of this work is to investigate the relationship between abyssal hill morphology and the properties of the ridge crest at which they were formed. We apply the method of Goff and Jordan [1988] for the estimation of two-dimensional statistical properties of abyssal hill morphology from the gridded Hydrosweep bathymetry. Important abyssal hill parameters derived from this analysis include root-mean-square (rms) height, characteristic width, and plan view aspect ratio. The analysis is partitioned into two substudies: (1) analysis of near-axis (< 7 Ma) abyssal hills for each of the three segments and (2) analysis of temporal variations (∼2–29 Ma) in abyssal hill morphology along the run of the south segment. The results of this analysis are compared and correlated with analysis of the gravity data and preliminary determination of faulting characteristics based on HMRl side scan data. Principal results of this study are: (1) Abyssal hill morphology within the study region is strongly influenced by the inside-outside corner geometry of the mid-ocean ridge segments; abyssal hills originating at inside corners have larger rms height and characteristic width and smaller plan view aspect ratio than those originating at outside corners. (2) The residual mantle Bouguer gravity anomaly is positively correlated with intersegment and along-flow-line variations in rms height and characteristic width, and it is negatively correlated with plan view aspect ratio. From this result, we infer that lower-relief, narrower, and more elongated abyssal hills are produced when the crust being generated is thicker. (3) Intersegment variations in near-axis rms height negatively correlate with average fault density as determined from analysis of HMRl side scan imagery.This research was supported by the Office of Naval Research under grants N00014-92-J-1214, N00014-94-I-0197, N0014-90-J-1621, and N0014-94-1-0466. G.E.J. was supported by ONR AASERT grant N00014-93-I-1153, and additional support to J.L. was provided by NSF grant OCE93-00708

Trends in and predictors of carbapenem consumption across North American hospitals: Results from a multicenter survey by the MAD-ID research network

This Special Issue is dedicated to the late Dr. Charles (Charlie) D. Hufford, former Professor of Pharmacognosy and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at University of Mississippi [...]

Solution pans and linear sand bedforms on the bare-rock limestone shelf of the Campeche Bank, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

A high-resolution, near-surface geophysical survey was conducted in 2013 on the Campeche Bank, a carbonate platform offshore of Yucatán, Mexico, to provide a hazard assessment for future scientific drilling into the Chicxulub impact crater. It also provided an opportunity to obtain detailed information on the seafloor morphology and shallow stratigraphy of this understudied region. The seafloor exhibited two morphologies: (1) small-scale (<2 m) bare-rock karstic features, and (2) thin (<1 m) linear sand accumulations overlying the bedrock. Solution pans, circular to oblong depressions featured flat bottoms and steep sides, were the dominant karstic features; they are known to form subaerially by the pooling of rainwater and dissolution of carbonate. Observed pans were 10–50 cm deep and generally 1–8 m wide, but occasionally reach 15 m, significantly larger than any solution pan observed on land (maximum 6 m). These features likely grew over the course of many 10's of thousands of years in an arid environment while subaerially exposed during lowered sea levels. Surface sands are organized into linear bedforms oriented NE-SW, 10's to 100's meters wide, and kilometers long. These features are identified as sand ribbons (longitudinal bedforms), and contained asymmetric secondary transverse bedforms that indicate NE-directed flow. This orientation is incompatible with the prevalent westward current direction; we hypothesize that these features are storm-generated

The impact of Hurricane Sandy on the shoreface and inner shelf of Fire Island, New York : large bedform migration but limited erosion

© The Author(s), 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution.. The definitive version was published in Continental Shelf Research 98 (2015): 13-25, doi:10.1016/j.csr.2015.03.001.We investigate the impact of superstorm Sandy on the lower shoreface and inner shelf offshore the barrier island system of Fire Island, NY using before-and-after surveys involving swath bathymetry, backscatter and CHIRP acoustic reflection data. As sea level rises over the long term, the shoreface and inner shelf are eroded as barrier islands migrate landward; large storms like Sandy are thought to be a primary driver of this largely evolutionary process. The “before” data were collected in 2011 by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of a long-term investigation of the Fire Island barrier system. The “after” data were collected in January, 2013, ~two months after the storm. Surprisingly, no widespread erosional event was observed. Rather, the primary impact of Sandy on the shoreface and inner shelf was to force migration of major bedforms (sand ridges and sorted bedforms) 10’s of meters WSW alongshore, decreasing in migration distance with increasing water depth. Although greater in rate, this migratory behavior is no different than observations made over the 15-year span prior to the 2011 survey. Stratigraphic observations of buried, offshore-thinning fluvial channels indicate that long-term erosion of older sediments is focused in water depths ranging from the base of the shoreface (~13-16 m) to ~21 m on the inner shelf, which is coincident with the range of depth over which sand ridges and sorted bedforms migrated in response to Sandy. We hypothesize that bedform migration regulates erosion over these water depths and controls the formation of a widely observed transgressive ravinement; focusing erosion of older material occurs at the base of the stoss (upcurrent) flank of the bedforms. Secondary storm impacts include the formation of ephemeral hummocky bedforms and the deposition of a mud event layer.This work was funded primarily by a rapid response grant from the Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas/Austi