Numerical simulation of bubble plumes and an analysis of their seismic attributes

Abstract

To study the bubble plume’s seismic response characteristics, the model of a plume water body has been built in this article using the bubble-contained medium acoustic velocity model and the stochastic medium theory based on an analysis of both the acoustic characteristics of a bubble-contained water body and the actual features of a plume. The finite difference method is used for forward modelling, and the single-shot seismic record exhibits the characteristics of a scattered wave field generated by a plume. A meaningful conclusion is obtained by extracting seismic attributes from the pre-stack shot gather record of a plume. The values of the amplitude-related seismic attributes increase greatly as the bubble content goes up, and changes in bubble radius will not cause seismic attributes to change, which is primarily observed because the bubble content has a strong impact on the plume’s acoustic velocity, while the bubble radius has a weak impact on the acoustic velocity. The above conclusion provides a theoretical reference for identifying hydrate plumes using seismic methods and contributes to further study on hydrate decomposition and migration, as well as on distribution of the methane bubble in seawater.