Challenge and opportunity of 4C ocean bottom seismics in shallow water environment

In contrast to deep-water environments, shallow water environment typical of the Arabian Gulf presents unique challenges to 4C ocean bottom cable (OBC) seismics, including strong surface waves and multiples. Acquisition of 4C OBC seismic data should consider long time delay between shots, small spacing interval and other parameter modifications so that severe signal contamination and spatial aliasing can be avoided. Importantly, a combination of shallow water depth and hard bottom can result in efficient conversion of acoustic energy to downward point-source-like shear-wave energy at the water/seabed interface that is more than thousand times stronger than in deep-water environments. Special 4C data processing incorporating forward elastic wave modeling may help utilize the PS-S reflections to estimate the shear wave properties of the seabed and the subsurface carbonate reservoirs. Copyright 2009, European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers.

71st European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers Conference and Exhibition 2009: Balancing Global Resources. Incorporating SPE EUROPEC 2009

Challenge and opportunity of 4C ocean bottom seismics in shallow water environment Conference Paper