Least-squares multiple imaging constrained jointly by OBN and towed-streamer data

Abstract

Summary Marine seismic surveys in shallow water regions typically suffer from acquisition striping and poor shallow resolution. Multiple imaging has been discussed in the literature for several years as a processing-based approach to this problem. We compare least-squares wave-equation multiple migration (LS-WEMM) results for towed-streamer and ocean bottom node (OBN) data sets co-located in the Central North Sea. With either data type, LS-WEMM results reduce acquisition striping and improve spatial resolution, when compared with primary imaging. Further, we observe that the towed-streamer LS-WEMM result provides better lateral resolution than the OBN LS-WEMM result, whereas the OBN LS-WEMM result provides better image illumination overall. We propose a LS-WEMM method constrained jointly by towed-streamer and OBN data, which is shown to combine the benefits offered by both data types.