Hydrogeological Model Selection Among Complex Spatial Priors
Abstract
Hydrogeological field studies rely often on a single conceptual representation of the subsurface. This is problematic since the impact of a poorly chosen conceptual model on predictions might be significantly larger than the one caused by parameter uncertainty. Furthermore, conceptual models often need to incorporate geological concepts and patterns in order to provide meaningful uncertainty quantification and predictions. Consequently, several geologically realistic conceptual models should ideally be considered and evaluated in terms of their relative merits. Here, we propose a full Bayesian methodology based on Markov chain Monte Carlo to enable model selection among 2-D conceptual models that are sampled using training images and concepts from multiple-point statistics. More precisely, power posteriors for the different conceptual subsurface models are sampled using sequential geostatistical resampling and Graph Cuts. To demonstrate the methodology, we compare and rank five alternative conceptual geological models that have been proposed in the literature to describe aquifer heterogeneity at the MAcroDispersion Experiment site in Mississippi, USA. We consider a small-scale tracer test for which the spatial distribution of hydraulic conductivity impacts multilevel solute concentration data observed along a 2-D transect. The thermodynamic integration and the stepping-stone sampling methods were used to compute the evidence and associated Bayesmore »
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Lausanne, Lausanne (Switzerland). Applied and Environmental Geophysics Group, Inst. of Earth Sciences
- British Geological Survey, Environmental Science Centre, Nottingham (United Kingdom)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1572041
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Water Resources Research
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 55; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 58 GEOSCIENCES
Citation Formats
Brunetti, C., Bianchi, M., Pirot, G., and Linde, N. Hydrogeological Model Selection Among Complex Spatial Priors. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1029/2019wr024840.
Brunetti, C., Bianchi, M., Pirot, G., & Linde, N. Hydrogeological Model Selection Among Complex Spatial Priors. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr024840
Brunetti, C., Bianchi, M., Pirot, G., and Linde, N. Fri .
"Hydrogeological Model Selection Among Complex Spatial Priors". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr024840. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1572041.
@article{osti_1572041,
title = {Hydrogeological Model Selection Among Complex Spatial Priors},
author = {Brunetti, C. and Bianchi, M. and Pirot, G. and Linde, N.},
abstractNote = {Hydrogeological field studies rely often on a single conceptual representation of the subsurface. This is problematic since the impact of a poorly chosen conceptual model on predictions might be significantly larger than the one caused by parameter uncertainty. Furthermore, conceptual models often need to incorporate geological concepts and patterns in order to provide meaningful uncertainty quantification and predictions. Consequently, several geologically realistic conceptual models should ideally be considered and evaluated in terms of their relative merits. Here, we propose a full Bayesian methodology based on Markov chain Monte Carlo to enable model selection among 2-D conceptual models that are sampled using training images and concepts from multiple-point statistics. More precisely, power posteriors for the different conceptual subsurface models are sampled using sequential geostatistical resampling and Graph Cuts. To demonstrate the methodology, we compare and rank five alternative conceptual geological models that have been proposed in the literature to describe aquifer heterogeneity at the MAcroDispersion Experiment site in Mississippi, USA. We consider a small-scale tracer test for which the spatial distribution of hydraulic conductivity impacts multilevel solute concentration data observed along a 2-D transect. The thermodynamic integration and the stepping-stone sampling methods were used to compute the evidence and associated Bayes factors using the computed power posteriors. We find that both methods are compatible with multiple-point statistics-based inversions and provide a consistent ranking of the competing conceptual models considered.},
doi = {10.1029/2019wr024840},
journal = {Water Resources Research},
number = 8,
volume = 55,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jul 05 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Fri Jul 05 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
Web of Science
Figures / Tables:
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