Minimizing Acoustic Environmental Impact of Marine Seismic Exploration

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Tulett ◽  
Robert M. Laws ◽  
Mehul Supawala ◽  
Jon-Fredrik Hopperstad ◽  
David Gerez
2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Bayly ◽  
Michelle Tham ◽  
Peter Watterson ◽  
Binghui Li ◽  
Kevin Moran

The design of successful marine seismic surveys is driven by many factors, two prime issues being efficiency and environmental impact. Efficiency is primarily driven by reduction of non-productive time and creating the largest sub-surface illumination area possible in the shortest time. In addition, public opinion and governmental regulations are requiring the industry to minimise their environmental impact. One aspect is reducing the overall sound exposure level (SEL) of the source into the marine environment. Using recent Australian examples, we will discuss and demonstrate the use of two new technology groups that address these concerns. The first is the use of a new type of seismic air-gun with optimal output over the range of frequencies commonly used in seismic exploration, while limiting potential environmental effects from unnecessary high-frequency emissions. The second is continuous data acquisition along the entire boat traverse, including the turns, thereby reducing non-productive vessel time. Both are described with examples from a recent survey acquired offshore north-west Australia.


1999 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.D. Sternlicht

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egor Egorov ◽  
Anna Shabalina ◽  
Dmitry Zaitsev ◽  
Sergey Kurkov ◽  
Nikolay Gueorguiev

Low frequency hydrophone with a frequency range of 1−300 Hz for marine seismic exploration systems has been developed. The operation principle of the hydrophone bases on the molecular electronic transfer that allows high sensitivity and low level self-noise at low frequencies (<10 Hz) to be achieved. The paper presents a stabilization method of the frequency response within the frequency range at a depth up to 30 m. Laboratory and marine tests confirmed the stated characteristics as well as the possibility of using this sensor in bottom marine seismic systems. An experimental sample of the hydrophone successfully passed a comparative marine test at Gelendzhik Bay (Black Sea) with the technical support of Joint-Stock Company (JSC) “Yuzhmorgeologiya”. One of the main results is the possibility of obtaining high-quality information in the field of low frequencies, which was demonstrated in the course of field tests.


Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. R461-R476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Faucher ◽  
Giovanni Alessandrini ◽  
Hélène Barucq ◽  
Maarten V. de Hoop ◽  
Romina Gaburro ◽  
...  

The quantitative reconstruction of subsurface earth properties from the propagation of waves follows an iterative minimization of a misfit functional. In marine seismic exploration, the observed data usually consist of measurements of the pressure field, but dual-sensor devices also provide the normal velocity. Consequently, a reciprocity-based misfit functional is specifically designed, and it defines the full reciprocity-gap waveform inversion (FRgWI) method. This misfit functional provides additional features compared to the more traditional least-squares approaches, in particular, in that the observational and computational acquisitions can be different. Therefore, the positions and wavelets of the sources from which the measurements are acquired are not needed in the reconstruction procedure and, in fact, the numerical acquisition (for the simulations) can be chosen arbitrarily. Based on 3D experiments, FRgWI is shown to behave better than full-waveform inversion in the same context. It allows for arbitrary numerical acquisitions in two ways: when few measurements are given, a dense numerical acquisition (compared to the observational one) can be used to compensate. However, with a dense observational acquisition, a sparse computational one is shown to be sufficient, for instance, with multiple-point sources, hence reducing the numerical cost. FRgWI displays accurate reconstructions in both situations and appears more robust with respect to crosstalk than least-squares shot stacking.


1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 741 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Williams ◽  
A. J. Boulton ◽  
M. Hyde ◽  
A. J. Kinnear ◽  
C. D. Cockshell

The Department of Mines and Energy, South Australia (DME) contracted Michael Williams and Associates Pty Ltd to audit the environmental management of seismic exploration operations in the South Australian Otway Basin. The audit was carried out in early 1992 and covered petroleum exploration operators and DME environmental management systems. An innovative field sampling technique was developed to compare the environmental impact of two different seismic line clearing techniques. Recovery of native vegetation as measured by vegetation structure was also quantified.The audit found DME to have a dynamic and integrated environmental management system while company systems varied in standard. Wide consultation assisted the audit process.As a result of clearing for agriculture, native vegetation covers only six per cent of the Otway Basin. With the strict limitations to broad-scale vegetation clearance since the mid-1980s and the cessation since 1991, the greatest environmental impact of seismic exploration is the clearance of native vegetation for access by seismic vehicles. Native vegetation structure and associated abiotic variables on seismic lines and adjacent control sites, were subject to a classification and ordination analysis which compared the impact of seismic lines constructed by bulldozer or Hydro-ax (industrial slasher). Post-seismic recovery rates of three different vegetation associations were also determined. This analytical technique permits the effects of seismic line clearance to be compared with the natural variability of specific vegetation associations within a region. In interpreting the results however, there is a confounding effect of line type and year as most of the more recent seismic lines were constructed using a Hydro-ax. Results indicate that Hydro-ax clearing affects vegetation structure less than bulldozing. Most Hydro-ax sites recovered within a few years whereas some sites, bulldozed as early as 1971, particularly tussock grasslands, have not yet recovered.This study provides a significant break-through in the debate about the persistence of seismic impacts on native vegetation. As a rapid preliminary assessment, sampling vegetation structure rather than floristics, provides a cost-effective audit and monitoring technique which can be used by non-specialists in a range of petroleum exploration environments. Any significant structural differences may require more detailed analysis to determine if floristic composition also differed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2061 (1) ◽  
pp. 012068
Author(s):  
G L Kozenkova ◽  
V N Talamanov ◽  
V A Kozenkov ◽  
S I Kondratyev ◽  
E V Khekert ◽  
...  

Abstract An extensive use of geophysical methods necessitates the development of new methods and improvement of existing methods for seismic exploration to provide reliable data on the structure of the environment in difficult geological conditions. Therefore, it is especially relevant to solve the problems arising in marine petroleum geophysics, which require constant improvement of the methodology and technology of work, and the development and implementation of the advanced seismic equipment. Pneumatic sources that use compressed air as a working medium are among the most effective non-explosive sources for marine seismic exploration. Pneumatic sources exhibit high-energy characteristics, reliability and versatility. Compressor equipment that provide pneumatic sources with high-pressure compressed air is relatively easy to embed into the marine vessel’s power system. The above requires the development and improvement of theoretical methods for studying dynamic problems of a liquid half-space with buried sources of various types. A theoretical description of the formation of an elastic signal in water is given in a number of works. However, the authors of these works do not perform the analysis of gas transportation. The paper considers a number of characteristics of gas flow at a subsonic speed along the high-pressure hose from a vessel’s compressor unit to a pneumatic source. The airflow rate in the receiver-pneumatic source system is determined, and the friction force at a quasi-steady isothermal mode of gas flow is calculated. The paper presents recommendations for planning geophysical works.


Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. V457-V471
Author(s):  
Thomas Andre Larsen Greiner ◽  
Volodya Hlebnikov ◽  
Jan Erik Lie ◽  
Odd Kolbjørnsen ◽  
Andreas Kjelsrud Evensen ◽  
...  

Seismic exploration in complex geologic settings and shallow geologic targets has led to a demand for higher spatial and temporal resolution in the final migrated image. Conventional marine seismic and wide-azimuth data acquisition lack near-offset coverage, which limits imaging in these settings. A new marine source-over-cable survey, with split-spread configuration, known as TopSeis, was introduced in 2017 to address the shallow-target problem. However, wavefield reconstruction in the near offsets is challenging in the shallow part of the seismic record due to the high temporal frequencies and coarse sampling that leads to severe spatial aliasing. We have investigated deep learning as a tool for the reconstruction problem, beyond spatial aliasing. Our method is based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) approach trained in the wavelet domain that is used to reconstruct the wavefield across the streamers. We determine the performance of the proposed method on broadband synthetic data and TopSeis field data from the Barents Sea. From our synthetic example, we find that the CNN can be learned in the inline direction and applied in the crossline direction, and that the approach preserves the characteristics of the geologic model in the migrated section. In addition, we compare our method to an industry-standard Fourier-based interpolation method, in which the CNN approach shows an improvement in the root-mean-square (rms) error close to a factor of two. In our field data example, we find that the approach reconstructs the wavefield across the streamers in the shot domain, and it displays promising characteristics of a reconstructed 3D wavefield.


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