Regional-Scale Subsurface Modeling

Inga Berre; Paola F. Antonietti; Rainer Helmig; Marc Hesse; Jan Martin Nordbotten

doi:10.69631/ipj.v2i2nr79

Authors

Inga Berre University of Bergen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0212-7959
Paola F. Antonietti Politecnico di Milano https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2138-3878
Rainer Helmig University of Stuttgart https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2601-5377
Marc Hesse The University of Texas at Austin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2532-3274
Jan Martin Nordbotten University of Bergen https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1455-5704

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69631/ipj.v2i2nr79

Keywords:

Geological, Subsurface, Resources

Abstract

The subsurface is a critical foundation for society, providing essential resources such as water, minerals, and energy, while also offering storage capacity for resources and waste. Current subsurface use is expanding rapidly, leading to aggregated effects at regional scales ranging from tens to hundreds of kilometers. Despite their growing importance, current subsurface models remain limited to field-scale analysis and are insufficient for understanding regional scale impacts. This commentary advocates for a shift in subsurface modeling research, highlighting the importance of developing regional scale models that can assess the cumulative and interconnected effects of multiple subsurface operations. We outline a roadmap for developing the mathematical and numerical foundations necessary for regional scale subsurface analysis, highlighting the need for multiscale modeling, hybrid physics- and data-driven modeling approaches, and efficient computational tools.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Coussy, O. (2004). Poromechanics. John Wiley & Sons. Print ISBN:9780470849200, Online ISBN:9780470092712. https://doi.org/10.1002/0470092718 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/0470092718

Farmer, C. L. (2002). Upscaling: a review. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 40(1‐2), 63-78. https://doi.org/10.1002/fld.267 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/fld.267

Goebel, T. H. W., & Brodsky, E. E. (2018). The spatial footprint of injection wells in a global compilation of induced earthquake sequences. Science, 361(6405), 899–904. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat5449 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat5449

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2023). AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/

Keranen, K. M., Savage, H. M., Abers, G. A., & Cochran, E. S. (2013). Potentially induced earthquakes in Oklahoma, USA: Links between wastewater injection and the 2011 Mw 5.7 earthquake sequence. Geology, 41(6), 699–702. https://doi.org/10.1130/G34045.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/G34045.1

Keranen, K. M., Weingarten, M., Abers, G. A., Bekins, B. A., & Ge, S. (2014). Sharp increase in central Oklahoma seismicity since 2008 induced by massive wastewater injection. Science, 345(6195), 448–451. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1255802 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1255802

Kuang, X., Liu, J., Scanlon, B. R., Jiao, J. J., Jasechko, S., et al. (2024). The changing nature of groundwater in the global water cycle. Science, 383(6686), eadf0630. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf0630 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf0630

Niazi, H., Wild, T. B., Turner, S. W. D., Graham, N. T., Hejazi, M., et al. (2024). Global peak water limit of future groundwater withdrawals. Nature Sustainability, 7(4), 413–422. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01306-w DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01306-w

Shehabi, A., Smith, S. J., Hubbard, A., Newkirk, A., Lei, N., et al. (2024). 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California. LBNL-2001637. https://eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/lbnl-2024-united-states-data-center-energy-usage-report.pdf

UN-Water (2024). UN-Water Analytical Brief on Water for Climate Mitigation. Geneva, Switzerland. https://www.unwater.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/UN-Water_Analytical_Brief_on_Water_for_Climate_Mitigation.pdf

U.S. Energy Information Administration (2025), International Energy Statistics, retrieved April 30, 2025: https://www.eia.gov/international/data/world

Weinan, E. (2011). Principles of Multiscale Modeling. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781107096547. https://www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/subjects/mathematics/mathematical-modelling-and-methods/principles-multiscale-modeling?format=HB&isbn=9781107096547#contents

Weingarten, M., Ge, S., Godt, J. W., Bekins, B. A., & Rubinstein, J. L. (2015). High-rate injection is associated with the increase in U.S. mid-continent seismicity. Science, 348(6241), 1336–1340. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab1345 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab1345