Aligneringseis

Aligneringseis is a concept in geophysics referring to a family of data-processing techniques that aim to improve coherence among seismic traces by aligning energy arrivals across sensors. The objective is to reduce misalignment caused by clock drift, velocity-model errors, or instrument response differences, thereby enhancing the quality of stacks and inversions.

The term combines alignering, meaning the act of aligning, with seis, a shorthand for seismic signals. It is used in both field data processing and synthetic studies to describe methods that synchronize seismic events before further analysis.

Methods typically operate in time or frequency domains. Common approaches include cross-correlation based time shifts, phase adjustment, and, in some formulations, dynamic time warping to accommodate nonuniform arrival differences. Iterative refinement and reference traces are often employed.

Applications include conventional land or marine surveys, microseismic monitoring, time-lapse (4D) seismic studies, and full-waveform inversion workflows, where improved alignment leads to more reliable velocity models and cleaner common-image gathers.

Advantages include higher trace coherence, improved stacking and amplitudes, reduced processing artifacts, and potentially more stable inversions and attribute estimates.

Limitations include reliance on data quality, risk of over-alignment that suppresses genuine variability, computational cost, and the need for careful validation to avoid bias.

Status and outlook: Aligneringseis is discussed in academic and industry literature as an emerging approach. Ongoing research focuses on robust similarity metrics, automation, and integration with existing seismic workflows.

See also: Seismic data processing, trace alignment, cross-correlation, dynamic time warping, full-waveform inversion, time-lapse seismic.