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Microbial‐induced heterogeneity in the acoustic properties of porous media
Author(s) -
Davis Caroline A.,
PyrakNolte Laura J.,
Atekwana Estella A.,
Werkema D. Dale,
Haugen Marisa E.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2009gl039569
Subject(s) - porous medium , biofilm , attenuation , acoustic attenuation , amplitude , porosity , materials science , water column , geology , mineralogy , acoustics , optics , composite material , bacteria , physics , paleontology , oceanography
It is not known how biofilms affect seismic wave propagation in porous media. Such knowledge is critical for assessing the utility of seismic techniques for imaging biofilm development and their effects in field settings. Acoustic wave data were acquired over a two‐dimensional region of a microbial‐stimulated sand column and an unstimulated sand column. The acoustic signals from the unstimulated column were relatively uniform over the 2D scan region. The data from the microbial‐stimulated column exhibited a high degree of spatial heterogeneity in the acoustic wave amplitude, with some regions exhibiting significant increases in attenuation while others exhibited decreases. Environmental scanning electron microscopy showed differences in the structure of the biofilm between regions of increased and decreased acoustic wave amplitude. We conclude from these observations that variations in microbial growth and biofilm structure cause heterogeneity in the elastic properties of porous media with implications for the validation of bioclogging models.