245: Fiber Optics in Action - The Future of Geophysical Sensing

"Fiber optics can thrive in the harshest environments, proving robust for oil, gas, and carbon capture projects." This episode dives into the cutting-edge world of fiber optics with Joël Le Calvez, guest editor for November 2024's The Leading Edge. Fiber optics, a technology ubiquitous in daily life, is revolutionizing geophysics, offering real-time, cost-effective, and highly precise data collection capabilities. Joël breaks down six groundbreaking papers showcasing how fiber optics transform oil and gas, carbon capture, and even seafloor imaging. KEY TAKEAWAYS > Revolutionary Applications: Fiber optics enables continuous, distributed sensing over large areas, reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency for seismic surveys, leak detection, and more. > Cutting-Edge Innovations: The special section highlights advancements in distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) for seismic profiling, carbon storage monitoring, and real-time event detection. > Bridging Disciplines: Fiber optics has the potential to break down silos in geoscience, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration through shared data acquisition methods. NEXT STEP Explore the November 2024 issue of The Leading Edge to dive deeper into these transformative studies. Read the special section at https://library.seg.org/toc/leedff/43/11 and consider how fiber optics can innovate your projects. TEXT A FRIEND Ever wonder how real-time sensing can monitor CO2 storage? This podcast brilliantly explains it. Listen here: https://seg.org/podcasts/episode-245-fiber-optics-in-action-the-future-of-geophysical-sensing. GUEST BIO Joël Le Calvez graduated with a B. Sc. in Physics, an M. Sc. in Geosciences, a pre-doctoral degree in Geodynamics, and a Ph. D. in Geology. For two decades, Joel spent time in the field and the office helping decide on drilling locations, acquiring and processing microseismic data, and leading teams of geologists, geophysicists, and engineers in North America about hydraulic fracturing campaigns. 2014 Joel became the Global Head of the Geophysics Domain and added the North America Well Integrity and Production Logging businesses to his portfolio. In January 2022, Joel took the Reservoir Performance Optical Fiber program manager position before adding the Production Services portfolio a semester later. He coordinates the effort associated with cable and interrogator manufacturing, research and development directions, and business-focused answer products for all domains relying on fiber optic to acquire data. LINKS * Visit https://seg.org/podcasts/episode-245-fiber-optics-in-action-the-future-of-geophysical-sensing for the complete show notes and links to read this special section. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS OPENS 15 JANUARY Technical Program Chairs Yingcai Zheng and Molly Turko invite you to submit your best work. This year, we're fostering deeper collaboration between SEG, AAPG, and SEPM. Focus on regional challenges and how integrated geoscience can unlock solutions. Submit short or expanded abstracts for oral and poster presentations. The Call for Abstracts opens on 15 January and closes on 15 March at 5:00 PM CT. Don't miss this opportunity to share your research and connect with the broader geoscience community. SHOW CREDITS Andrew Geary at TreasureMint hosted, edited, and produced this episode. The SEG podcast team comprises Jennifer Cobb, Kathy Gamble, and Ally McGinnis. If you have episode ideas or feedback for the show or want to sponsor a future episode, email the show at podcast@seg.org.