The inverse problem of reflection seismology differs in many ways from data assimilation problems arising in meteorology and oceanography, but exhibits some intriguing similarities as well. Seismic inversion shares a model-based data-fitting goal with many data assimilation problems. Also, multiscale nonlinearities present both obstacles, theoretical and practical, and critical opportunities for teasing information about the Earth's structure from seismic observations. This talk will overview seismic reflection imaging as an inverse problem, and explore the consequences of intra-scale and cross-scale interactions between seismic waves and the Earth's mechanical heterogeneity.
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