Three-dimensional data analysis for acoustic measurements of a seismic airgun array.

Abstract

The Source Characterization Study 2007 measured the three‐dimensional acoustic field of a seismic airgun array. The Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center performed the experiment, collecting acoustic and related data on three moored hydrophone arrays and one ship‐deployed hydrophone array which together spanned the full water column. Sensitive and desensitized phones were deployed at each position to extend the dynamic range. An ultra short baseline localization system was deployed with the EARS moorings to provide array shape. With post analysis this results in time‐dependent positions for each of the acoustic sensors. Every channel is calibrated. A seismic source vessel shot a series of lines designed to give detailed angle and range information concerning the field of the primary arrival. The experiment was conducted in the western Gulf of Mexico between the East Break and Alamos Canyon regions. Peak pressures, sound exposure levels, total shot energy spectra, and one‐third octave band analyses are me...