Abstract
A variety of geo-energy operations involve extraction or injections of fluids, including hydrocarbon production or storage, hydrogen storage, CO2 sequestration, and geothermal energy production. The surface deformation resulting from such operations can be a source of information on reservoir geomechanical properties as we show in this study. We analyze the time-dependent surface deformation in the Groningen region in northeastern Netherlands using a comprehensive geodetic data set, which includes InSAR (Radarsat2, TerraSAR-X, Sentinel-1), GNSS, and optical leveling spanning several decades. We resort to an Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to isolate deformation signals of various origins. The signals related to gas production from the Groningen gas field and from seasonal storage at Norg Underground Gas Storage are clearly revealed. Surface deformation associated to the Groningen reservoir show decadal subsidence, with spatially variable subsidence rates dictated by local compressibility. The ICA reveals distinct seasonal fluctuations at Norg, closely mirroring the variations of gas storage. By comparing the observed long-term subsidence within the Groningen reservoir and seasonal oscillations at Norg from a linear poroelastic compaction model, we quantify the fraction of inelastic deformation of the reservoir in space and time and constrain the reservoir compressibility. In Groningen, increased compressibility indicates inelastic compaction that has built over time and might account for as much as 20% of the total compaction cumulated until 2021, while Norg shows no signs of inelastic deformation and a constant compressibility. This study provides a methodology to monitor and calibrate models of the subsurface deformation induced by geo-energy operations or aquifer management.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e2024JB030794 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-22 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth |
| Volume | 130 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 20 Mar 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 31 Mar 2025 |
Data Access Statement
All InSAR, GNSS, and optical data were provided by Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM). The InSAR data were processed by SkyGeo (https://skygeo.com). Surface temperature data were retrieved from KNMI (https://dataplatform.knmi.nl/dataset/). The relevant InSAR, GNSS, and optical data necessary for the analysis in this article are available through Li et al. (2024) (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14184369). The vbICA software for ICA decomposition is available from Gualandi and Liu (2020) (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4322548). The reservoir modeling code is from Acosta et al. (2023a) (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8329298).Funding
This study was supportedby the NSF/Industry‐UniversityCollaborative Research Center‘Geomechanics and Mitigation ofGeohazards' (National Science Foundationaward 1822214), and the EnhancementProject GMG‐3 funded by NederlandseAardolie Maatschappij (NAM). M.Aacknowledges funding from the SwissNational Science Foundation throughGrant P2ELP2195127 and from Caltech'sResnick sustainability institute. We wouldlike to acknowledge for granting the accessand permitting to publish the InSAR andGNSS data.Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 10.1029/2024JB030794LI ET AL. 19 of 22
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Caltech's Resnick sustainability institute | |
| National Science Foundation | GMG‐3, 1822214 |
| National Science Foundation | |
| P2ELP2195127 | |
Keywords
- InSAR
- independent component analysis
- land subsidence
- reservoir compaction
- seasonalk deformation
- Groningen gas field
- compressibility
- seasonal deformation
