PreAdaptFWI: Pretrained-Based Adaptive Residual Learning for Full-Waveform Inversion Without Dataset Dependency

TL;DR

PreAdaptFWI introduces a dataset-independent, pretrained neural network framework that enhances full-waveform inversion by learning residuals and integrating physical priors, improving stability and accuracy in subsurface parameter estimation.

Contribution

It proposes a novel adaptive residual learning method combined with transfer learning to stabilize FWI without relying on large datasets.

Findings

Outperforms traditional FWI in various challenging conditions.

Effectively captures stratigraphic and velocity variations.

Demonstrates robustness against noise and initial model discrepancies.

Abstract

Full-waveform inversion (FWI) is a method that utilizes seismic data to invert the physical parameters of subsurface media by minimizing the difference between simulated and observed waveforms. Due to its ill-posed nature, FWI is susceptible to getting trapped in local minima. Consequently, various research efforts have attempted to combine neural networks with FWI to stabilize the inversion process. This study presents a simple yet effective training framework that is independent of dataset reliance and requires only moderate pre-training on a simple initial model to stabilize network outputs. During the transfer learning phase, the conventional FWI gradients will simultaneously update both the neural network and the proposed adaptive residual learning module, which learns the residual mapping of large-scale distribution features in the network's output, rather than directly fitting the target mapping. Through this synergistic training paradigm, the proposed algorithm effectively infers the physically-informed prior knowledge into a global representation of stratigraphic distribution, as well as capturing subtle variations in inter-layer velocities within local details, thereby escaping local optima. Evaluating the method on two benchmark models under various conditions, including absent low-frequency data, noise interference, and differing initial models, along with corresponding ablation experiments, consistently demonstrates the superiority of the proposed approach.