Seismic Soundoff

The microphone gets turned on the host and the co-founder of Seismic Soundoff in this special episode celebrating 5 years of the show. SEG Associate Executive Director Ted Bakamjian speaks with Andrew Geary and co-founder Isaac Farley on the inspiration behind the podcast, their most memorable episodes, and their favorite takeaways from working on the show. This special episode honors each podcast...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Jim White, Executive Director of SEG, to discuss IMAGE '21, his first few months on the job, and the future of applied geophysics. Topics include the relocation of SEG's headquarters to Houston, the possible merger of AAPG and SPE, and what to expect in Denver, Colorado for IMAGE '21. Visit https://imageevent.org/2021 to learn more and register today....

Oz Yilmaz discusses his latest book, "Land Seismic Case Studies for Near-Surface Modeling and Subsurface Imaging." Written for practicing geophysicists, this book is the culmination of land seismic data acquisition and processing projects conducted by Oz over the last two decades. Containing nearly 800 figures from worldwide 2D and 3D case studies, it is a comprehensive guide to understanding the...

Jean-Paul van Gestel highlights the latest for seismic interpretation, the special section in July's The Leading Edge. Seismic interpretation is the end game of the seismic data experiment. This is where all the hard work from seismic theory, modeling, acquisition, processing, and analysis comes together at the desks of the interpreters. In this episode, Jean-Paul discusses the interpreter's role...

Nimisha Vedanti highlights her Honorary Lecture on understanding seismic wave attenuation mechanisms. Nimisha explains how she discovered the problem of seismic attenuation, why seismic attenuation is one of the least understood physical mechanisms, practical takeaways from her lecture, and highlights from two real-world case studies. Visit https://seg.org/podcast for the complete show notes. BIOG...

Josef Paffenholz discusses the next trillion-dollar business and how SEG's SEAM project could play an essential role in its creation. The SEG Advanced Modeling (SEAM) Corporation initiative is a collaborative industrial research effort that has created and continues to create large-scale, leading-edge geophysical numerical simulations. The initiative has advanced “the science of geophysics through...

Historian Brian Frehner discusses the energy transition from coal to oil and the historical importance of J. Clarence Karcher. June 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of field tests confirming that J. Clarence Karcher's seismic reflection technique could detect and map structures capable of trapping oil. In this future-focused conversation, Brian discusses why Karcher left the oil business after his...

Dr. Dhananjay (DJ) Kumar discusses his course, the value of membership at SEG, and the activities essential for the professional development of geophysicists. This conversation covers a wide range of topics from synthetic seismograms construction to how to get the most of your membership at SEG. DJ has taken advantage of his activities throughout his career and is excited to share his lessons lear...

Dr. Ali Tura discusses his upcoming Distinguished Lecture, "Recent advances in seismic reservoir characterization and monitoring." Ali provides an overview of the three advances he highlights in his lecture and shares a few that didn't make the list. In addition, he explains why carbon sequestration is the most important issue facing the industry and why geophysics is well-positioned to support se...

David Lumley highlights two of SEG's Strategic Pillars and the geophysicists' role in supporting space exploration and the medical field. In this illuminating conversation, David outlines how geophysics supports the grand challenges of our world, how geophysics could quantitatively contribute to the medical field, how universities and companies could encourage greater collaboration, and a valuable...

Denes Vigh discusses the current developments and future growth areas for full-waveform inversion. In this informative conversation, Denes shares why it's necessary for full-waveform inversion (FWI) to utilize the full acquired wavefield, how ocean-bottom node surveys have impacted FWI, the next frontier for FWI, and his favorite feature of utilizing FWI in his work. Denes Vigh is the manager of t...

Dr. Michal Ruder discusses continuing education and her new course, Gravity and Magnetics for Explorationists. In this forward-thinking conversation, Michal shares the most important thing for explorationists to focus on right now, what she would say to the CEO of an oil and gas company, the future of GIS data for exploration, and the importance of nonseismic work in geophysics. As the world trans...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Margariete Malenda and Tiziana Vanorio on utilizing rock physics and geophysics to decarbonize the future. In this conversation, Margariete and Tiziana highlight the role of rock physics within geophysics, short- and long-term solutions to decarbonization, common misperceptions about decarbonization among the public and scientific community, how to in...

In this special episode, Seismic Soundoff features SEG’s humanitarian program, Geoscientists Without Borders (GWB). We highlight Silvio De Angelis’s project to create an international partnership to develop volcano monitoring capacities in Guatemala. In Guatemala, volcanic hazard is high with over 1.3 million people living within six miles of an erupting volcano, and over 7 million people living w...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with John Bradford on SEG's recent statement on climate change. John led the Climate Change Task Force charged with creating a statement for SEG. The SEG Board adopted the position statement in a unanimous vote during its January 2021 meeting. In this conversation, John provides an overview of SEG's position on climate change, the role geophysics plays in...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Mohamed Ahmed on geophysical test sites. In this conversation, Mohamed highlights the importance of field exercises, why geophysical test sites can act as a competitive advantage, and the many ways test sites can be used by students and companies (for free). This conversation showcases the importance of experiential learning in novel ways. Visit https...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Ray Abma on his new book, Simultaneous Source Seismic Acquisition. This book introduces simultaneous source technology and helps those who practice it succeed. This work is written through the lens of decades of experience and allows readers to understand the development of independent simultaneous sourcing. In this widely relevant and persuasive inte...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Stephen J. Hill on his new book, Illustrated Seismic Processing, Volume 2: Preimaging. Along with Steve's co-author Andreas Rüger, this second volume of Illustrated Seismic Processing provides a foundation for understanding the vigorous, relevant, and fascinating field of seismic processing, addressing that portion that precedes migration. Written for...

Dr. Xiaogui Miao highlights her SEG Honorary Lecture 2021 talk, "From multi-component imaging to ocean bottom seismic technology - challenges or opportunities?". In this intriguing conversation, Xiaogui makes a convincing argument that utilizing multi-component imaging is a low-cost and low-effort option for companies to better discover oil and gas. She also discusses how utilizing multi-component...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Kerry Key and Chloe Gustafson on their massive freshwater discovery off the East Coast of the United States. According to the United Nations, 60% of the world's population lives in places with high water stress, meaning that more water is being withdrawn than is currently available. In this crucial conversation, Kerry and Chloe discuss how they used e...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Jean Legault on mining geophysics, the featured special section in February's The Leading Edge. In this conversation, Jean highlights the similarities and differences of mining geophysics with seismic, why now is a great time to be a mining geophysicist, and the growth of machine learning in the field. There's something in this interview for everyone....

Dr. Adriana Citlali Ramírez highlights her SEG Honorary Lecture Europe 2021 talk, "Seismic technology in northern European waters and the prevalence of multiples." In this compelling conversation, Adriana showcases the value of exploring and developing mature oil and gas fields, the value of moving first on new technology, and offers great advice to succeed in the industry. This episode will convi...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Emer Caslin on the Geophysical Sustainability Atlas, the featured article in January's The Leading Edge. To help provide a clear value proposition to inspire new generations of scientists to pursue careers in geophysics and motivate current geophysicists to expand their activities and utilize their skills, a small group worked on mapping geophysical a...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Les Denham on his new book, Blizzards and Broken Grousers: A Year of Antarctic Glaciology. Detailing one year of Antarctic field operations in 1970–71 acquiring ice thickness data with radar, gravity, and magnetometer measurements, this book depicts the pioneering spirit of geophysics in the time when field operations spanned the globe. Moreover, the...

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Dr. Whitney Trainor-Guitton on geothermal energy, the featured special section in December's The Leading Edge. This episode is a great start to 2021 with a deep look at geothermal energy. Whitney provides a great primer on geothermal energy, explores the role of induced seismicity and full-waveform inversion within geothermal, and explains why manager...