We have introduced a novel time-frequency decomposition approach for analyzing seismic data. This method is inspired by the newly developed variational mode decomposition (VMD). The principle of VMD is to look for an ensemble of modes with their respective center frequencies, such that the modes collectively reproduce the input signal and each mode is smooth after demodulation into baseband. The advantage of VMD is that there is no residual noise in the modes and it can further decrease redundant modes compared with the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD) and improved CEEMD (ICEEMD). Moreover, VMD is an adaptive signal decomposition technique, which can nonrecursively decompose a multicomponent signal into several quasi-orthogonal intrinsic mode functions. This new tool, in contrast to empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and its variations, such as EEMD, CEEMD, and ICEEMD, is based on a solid mathematical foundation and can obtain a time-frequency representation that is less sensitive to noise. Two tests on synthetic data showed the effectiveness of our VMD-based time-frequency analysis method. Application on field data showed the potential of the proposed approach in highlighting geologic characteristics and stratigraphic information effectively. All the performances of the VMD-based approach were compared with those from the CEEMD- and ICEEMD-based approaches.
