Airgun Array Research Articles

Estimating the Shear-Wave Velocities of Shallow Sediments in the Yellow Sea Using Ocean-Bottom-Seismometer Multicomponent Scholte-Wave Data

Scholte-wave dispersion analysis is effective at imaging the relatively low shear-wave velocity of shallow marine sediments in marginal seas. The combination of a four-component ocean-bottom-seismometer (OBS) and a towed air-gun source can economically and effectively acquire the marine dispersive seismic data. Extracting higher-order dispersive Scholte wave modes is the most critical problem in the dispersion analysis method. The extremely low shear-wave velocity and severe attenuation in the top hundreds of meters of marginal sea sediment provide an uneven dispersive energy distribution for the four components of the Scholte wave data. The fundamental mode dispersive energy dominates in the vertical component and higher-order modes dominate in the horizontal component. We developed the method of the four-component OBS Scholte velocity-spectra stacking, which can effectively, rapidly, and robustly extract higher-order modes. We imaged the shear-wave velocity structure of complicated shallow marine sediment in the North Yellow Sea using an active OBS seismic profile with a large-volume air-gun array. The fourth higher-order Scholte wave mode can be imaged with the four-component velocity-spectra stacking method with a lower frequency range of 1.0–7.0 Hz. Only the second-order mode can be recognized from the dispersion energy image of the single vertical component. The joint inversion of multimode dispersion curves can provide more accuracy and deeper constraints for the inverted model; thus, the constraint depth with five modes increases by a factor of 1.9 compared with single fundamental mode inversion. The inverted profile suggests a low shear-wave velocity of 123–670 m/s and strong lateral variations within 350 m. The main regional geological structures are shown by the inverted shear-wave velocity structure.

Debubbling seismic data using a generalized neural network

Estimating the far-field source signature has always been an important part of seismic processing. However, estimating the source signature from an air-gun array is difficult because of the complex interaction between the air bubble oscillations from each air gun, the state of the sea surface, variations in air pressure, the air guns’ geometry, etc. Removing the bubble noise is important because proper seismic imaging requires a zero-phased, spiky wavelet. Debubbling has conventionally been done by deconvolution using an (assumed) known source signature. Several methods to estimate the signature and debubble the data have been implemented, for instance, source modeling or using near-field hydrophone measurements. We describe an alternative approach using a convolutional neural network for debubbling. The network is trained on real data containing a large range of source signatures to make the network robust and adaptive to signature variations. If the signature in the test data is equal to one of the signatures used in the training, the network performs well. In addition, if the signature changes in the middle of a sail line, the network can adapt to this change. Moreover, we investigate the network’s sensitivity to changing geology within a survey and on two different surveys on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). If the test data are from geology similar to the training data, the network performs better than if not. Even when applied to a different part of the NCS, the network is still able to remove most of the bubble noise.

Temporal Variability of Thermohaline Fine-Structure Associated With the Subtropical Front Off the Southeast Coast of New Zealand in High-Frequency Short-Streamer Multi-Channel Seismic Data

Seismic oceanography generally makes use of multi-channel seismic reflection data sourced by air gun arrays and long hydrophone streamers to image oceanographic water masses and processes—often piggybacking on surveys that target deeper geological features below the seafloor. However, due to the acquisition methods employed, shallow (upper 200 m or so) regions of the ocean can be poorly imaged with this technique, and resolution is often lower than desirable for imaging fine-structure within the water column. In 2012, we collected a set of higher-resolution seismic lines off the southeast coast of New Zealand, with a generator-injector airgun source and hydrophone streamer configuration designed to improve images of shallower water masses and their boundaries. The seismic lines were acquired with coincident expendable bathythermograph deployments which provides direct ties between physical oceanographic data and seismic data, allowing for definitive identification of the Subtropical Front and associated water masses in the subsurface. Repeat acquisition along the same transect shows significant temporal variability on the scale of hours, illustrating the highly dynamic nature of this important ocean boundary. Comparisons to conventional low-frequency seismic data in the same location show the value of high-resolution acquisition methods in imaging the near-surface of the ocean and allowing subsurface features to be linked to their expressions at the surface.

Abnormal interference of very low frequency sound field in shallow water

In a multi-channel seismic exploration experiment in the South Yellow Sea, a tuned air gun array with a shooting interval of 37.5m was used as broadband pulse source, and a horizontal line array with 336 elements is used to receive transmitted signals. The received single shot records in the range-time domain are transformed into an interference pattern in the range-frequency domain using Fourier transform. It is found that there is an abnormal interference pattern of the very low frequency (VLF) sound field in the stratified shallow water environment. It is a complex nonlinear structure, no longer regular striations in the range-frequency domain. The mechanism of this particular interference pattern is interpreted according to normal mode theory. In shallow water stratified leaky waveguide, VLF sound propagates as waterborne modes and bottom-trapped modes. These two kinds of normal mode interfere with each other and form the particular stable interference pattern. In the experimental environment, the group speeds for these two type normal modes change differently with frequency. And it causes slope of interference striations change from positive to negative with increase of frequency. The theoretical simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental data. It is shown that the structure of interference pattern is sensitive to bottom structure and geoacoustic parameters.

Acoustic characteristics of interacting air-guns in marine seismic exploration

There is still no exact theoretical description of the conditions for the coalescence of pulsating air bubbles in a liquid, based on complete (non-linearized) equations of hydrodynamics. A satisfactory mathematical model describing the mutual interaction of air-guns forming an array should be tailored to the dynamics of pulse chambers. The paper considers the interaction of air bubbles pulsating in a liquid resulting from an exhaust of compressed air during the operation of air-gun array used in a marine environment, as well as its effect on the acoustic characteristics of radiated pulses. The results of model calculations compared with experimental signals show that the resultant model describes quite adequately a sophisticated mutual effect of air-guns and can be used for practical purposes to calculate the configurations of air-gun arrays and the total pulses they cause.

Facial Features of an Air Gun Array Wavelet in the Time-Frequency Domain Based on Marine Vertical Cables

Facial Features of an Air Gun Array Wavelet in the Time-Frequency Domain Based on Marine Vertical Cables

North Sea soundscapes from a fish perspective: Directional patterns in particle motion and masking potential from anthropogenic noise.

The aquatic world of animals is an acoustic world as sound is the most prominent sensory capacity to extract information about the environment for many aquatic species. Fish can hear particle motion, and a swim bladder potentially adds the additional capacity to sense sound pressure. Combining these capacities allows them to sense direction, distance, spectral content, and detailed temporal patterns. Both sound pressure and particle motion were recorded in a shallow part of the North Sea before and during exposure to a full-scale airgun array from an experimental seismic survey. Distinct amplitude fluctuations and directional patterns in the ambient noise were found to be fluctuating in phase with the tidal cycles and coming from distinct directions. It was speculated that the patterns may be determined by distant sources associated with large rivers and nearby beaches. Sounds of the experimental seismic survey were above the ambient conditions for particle acceleration up to 10 km from the source, at least as detectable for the measurement device, and up to 31 km for the sound pressure. These results and discussion provide a fresh perspective on the auditory world of fishes and a shift in the understanding about potential ranges over which they may have access to biologically relevant cues and be masked by anthropogenic noise.

An echosounder view on the potential effects of impulsive noise pollution on pelagic fish around windfarms in the North Sea

Anthropogenic noise in the oceans is disturbing marine life. Among other groups, pelagic fish are likely to be affected by sound from human activities, but so far have received relatively little attention. Offshore wind farms have become numerous and will become even more abundant in the next decades. Wind farms can be interesting to pelagic fish due to food abundance or fisheries restrictions. At the same time, construction of wind farms involves high levels of anthropogenic noise, likely disturbing and/or deterring pelagic fish. Here, we investigated whether bottom-moored echosounders are a suitable tool for studying the effects of impulsive – intermittent, high-intensity – anthropogenic noise on pelagic fish around wind farms and we explored the possible nature of their responses. Three different wind farms along the Dutch and Belgian coast were examined, one with exposure to the passing by of an experimental seismic survey with a full-scale airgun array, one with pile driving activity in an adjacent wind farm construction site and one control site without exposure. Two bottom-moored echosounders were placed in each wind farm and recorded fish presence and behaviour before, during and after the exposures. The echosounders were successful in detecting variation in the number of fish schools and their behaviour. During the seismic survey exposure there were significantly fewer, but more cohesive, schools than before, whereas during pile driving fish swam shallower with more cohesive schools. However, the types and magnitudes of response patterns were also observed at the control site with no impulsive sound exposure. We therefore stress the need for thorough replication beyond single case studies, before we can conclude that impulsive sounds, from either seismic surveys or pile driving, are a disturbing factor for pelagic fish in otherwise attractive habitat around wind farms.

Imaging Early Oceanic Crust spreading in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean: Insights from the MAGIC wide-angle experiment

During the MAGIC (Margins of brAzil, Ghana, and Ivory Coast) experiment, five combined wide-angle, and reflection seismic profiles were acquired in the Pará-Maranhão/Barreirinhas/Ceará basins northern Brazil. This is a pull-apart passive margin, with two strike-slip borders. The equipment deployed includes 143 sea-bottom seismometers (OBS), a 4.5-km seismic streamer, and a 7587-in3 airgun array. In this paper, we focus on the distal parts of three profiles, and one entire transverse NW-SE profile, located on the presumed Cretaceous oceanic crust.Forward modelling of these wide-angle data sets reveals an E-W lateral evolution of the oceanic crust spreading initiation with: 1) just after the so-called intermediate domain, 60 km-wide domain that consists of a 5-km-thick crystalline crust. The basement presents two layers characterized by high acoustic velocity. This domain is bounded to the NW by a NW-SE volcanic line (Volcano Alignment), and 2) a 5-km-thick oceanic crust consisting of two layers characterized by “normal velocities” spanning between the two main fracture zones that fringe the Pará-Maranhão-Barreirinhas-Ceará segment. Despite a similar thickness, these two sub-domains present different velocity distribution in their two layers. They are both overlain by 5.5 km of sedimentary deposits. Forward wide-angle modelling confirms that the seafloor spreading process was progressive, with firstly the emplacement of a proto-oceanic crust, and then a thin oceanic crust. The “proto-oceanic” crust presents a similar seismic velocity with the intermediate domain interpreted as exhumed lower continental crust except for the lower part where the intruded lower crust gives place to a very sharp Moho at the base of the proto-oceanic domain. By contrast, the thin oceanic crust domain has a lower velocity structure in its upper layer, that is interpreted as basalt and is absent in the proto-oceanic crust. This eastward evolution, as also observed in the Provençal Basin, and the Santos Basin, suggests the involvement of the lower continental crust in the first steps of seafloor spreading.

Acoustic Pressure, Particle Motion, and Induced Ground Motion Signals from a Commercial Seismic Survey Array and Potential Implications for Environmental Monitoring

An experimental marine seismic source survey off the northwest Australian coast operated a 2600 cubic inch (41.6 l) airgun array, every 5.88 s, along six lines at a northern site and eight lines at a southern site. The airgun array was discharged 27,770 times with 128,313 pressure signals, 38,907 three-axis particle motion signals, and 17,832 ground motion signals recorded. Pressure and ground motion were accurately measured at horizontal ranges from 12 m. Particle motion signals saturated out to 1500 m horizontal range (50% of signals saturated at 230 and 590 m at the northern and southern sites, respectively). For unsaturated signals, sound exposure levels (SEL) correlated with measures of sound pressure level and water particle acceleration (r2= 0.88 to 0.95 at northern site and 0.97 at southern) and ground acceleration (r2= 0.60 and 0.87, northern and southern sites, respectively). The effective array source level was modelled at 247 dB re 1µPa m peak-to-peak, 231 dB re 1 µPa2 m mean-square, and 228 dB re 1 µPa2∙m2 s SEL at 15° below the horizontal. Propagation loss ranged from −29 to −30log10 (range) at the northern site and −29 to −38log10(range) at the southern site, for pressure measures. These high propagation losses are due to near-surface limestone in the seabed of the North West Shelf.

Effects of a seismic survey on movement of free-ranging Atlantic cod

Geophysical exploration of the seabed is typically done through seismic surveys, using airgun arrays that produce intense, low-frequency-sound pulses1 that can be heard over hundreds of square kilometers, 24/7.2,3 Little is known about the effects of these sounds on free-ranging fish behavior.4-6 Effects reported range from subtle individual change in activity and swimming depth for captive fish7,8 to potential avoidance9 and changes in swimming velocity and diurnal activity patterns for free-swimming animals.10 However, the extent and duration of behavioral responses to seismic surveys remain largely unexplored for most fish species.4 In this study, we investigated the effect of a full-scale seismic survey on the movement behavior of free-swimming Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). We found that cod did not leave the detection area more than expected during the experimental survey but that they left more quickly from 2days to 2weeks after the survey. Furthermore, during the exposure, cod decreased their activity, with time spent being "locally active" (moving small distances, showing high body acceleration) becoming shorter, and time spent being "inactive" (moving small distances, having low body acceleration) becoming longer. Additionally, diurnal activity cycles were disrupted with lower locally active peaks at dusk and dawn, periods when cod are known to actively feed.11,12 The combined effects of delayed deterrence and activity disruption indicate the potential for seismic surveys to affect energy budgets and to ultimately lead to population-level consequences.13.

Quantitative Evaluation of Air Gun Leakage in Offshore Seismic Exploration

Air gun seismic source is widely used in marine seismic data acquisition, and air leakage is a common phenomenon. When there is an abnormal situation such as air gun leakage, and the quality control cannot be carried out according to the gun closing standard, the influence of the air leakage of a single air gun or multiple air guns on the entire gun array is considered from the aspects of near-field wavelet correlation and energy consistency. Finally, this paper has put forward the quantitative analysis and evaluation method for the whole gun array, which can provide quantitative evaluation reference for the excitation quality of air gun array.

A Modeling Comparison of the Potential Effects on Marine Mammals from Sounds Produced by Marine Vibroseis and Air Gun Seismic Sources

Concerns about the potential environmental impacts of geophysical surveys using air gun sources, coupled with advances in geophysical surveying technology and data processing, are driving research and development of commercially viable alternative technologies such as marine vibroseis (MV). MV systems produce controllable acoustic signals through volume displacement of water using a vibrating plate or shell. MV sources generally produce lower acoustic pressure and reduced bandwidth (spectral content) compared to air gun sources, but to be effective sources for geophysical surveys they typically produce longer duration signals with short inter-signal periods. Few studies have evaluated the potential effects of MV system use on marine fauna. In this desktop study, potential acoustic exposure of marine mammals was estimated for MV and air gun arrays by modeling the source signal, sound propagation, and animal movement in representative survey scenarios. In the scenarios, few marine mammals could be expected to be exposed to potentially injurious sound levels for either source type, but fewer were predicted for MV arrays than air gun arrays. The estimated number of marine mammals exposed to sound levels associated with behavioral disturbance depended on the selection of evaluation criteria. More behavioral disturbance was predicted for MV arrays compared to air gun arrays using a single threshold sound pressure level (SPL), while the opposite result was found when using frequency-weighted sound fields and a multiple-step, probabilistic, threshold function.

Deterrence and Disruption of Free-Ranging Atlantic Cod During and after a Full-Scale Seismic Survey Experiment

Geophysical exploration of the seabed is typically done through seismic surveys, using airgun arrays that produce intense, low-frequency sounds. Little is known on the effects of these sounds, which can be heard over hundreds of km2, 24/7, on free-ranging fish. In this study, we investigated the effect of a 3.5-day, full-scale, seismic survey exposure on the movement behaviour of 37 free-swimming Atlantic cod, using acoustic telemetry. The cod were tagged at an offshore wind farm, 50 km offshore, at 20-30 m depth, and the sound source moved in loops from 25.0 to 2.25 km distance to the fish. Hidden Markov models were used for data integration and to model behavioural states, based on cod detection, spatial position and accelerometer-based activity. We found that during the experimental survey, cod did not leave the detection area more than expected from baseline data. However, cod left more quickly than expected, from two days to two weeks after the seismic survey. Furthermore, behavioural analyses demonstrated that during the exposure cod decreased their activity, with time spent being locally active (moving over small distances, showing high body acceleration) becoming shorter, and time spent being inactive (moving over small distances, having low body acceleration) longer. Additionally, diurnal activity cycles were disrupted with lower locally active peaks at dusk and dawn, periods when cod is known to actively feed. The combined effects of delayed deterrence and activity disruption, indicate the potential for seismic surveys to ultimately lead to consequences at population level.

Simulation and verification of an air-gun array wavelet in time-frequency domain based on van der waals gas equation

Simulation and verification of an air-gun array wavelet in time-frequency domain based on van der waals gas equation

Observation and inversion of very-low-frequency seismo-acoustic fields in the South China Sea.

Very-low-frequency (VLF) sound has significant potential for underwater detection and estimation of geoacoustic models of the ocean bottom structure. In marine settings, one type of VLF sound is the interface wave. These waves, trapped near the fluid-solid interface, are called Scholte waves, and this is the subject of this study. A field experiment was carried out in the South China Sea with the objective of exciting Scholte waves and investigating the propagation. The data were acquired by an ocean bottom seismometer, deployed on the seafloor. A large volume airgun array near the sea surface provided the sound source. The fundamental and three higher-order mode Scholte waves were excited. The Scholte waves are investigated by seismograms and a phase velocity inversion. The observed frequencies are in the range of 1.0-2.9 Hz. The energy attenuation is proportional to 1/r at the peak frequency 1.4 Hz. The shear wave speed structure, down to 600 m beneath the seafloor, is revealed from the dispersion curves by a least-squares inversion algorithm. The inversion result shows that the shear wave speed is below 300 m/s in the uppermost layer, which explains well the weak excitation of Scholte waves in this experiment.

Comparing the broadband acoustic frequency response of single, clustered, and arrays of marine air guns

Field data acquired from a seismic vessel by a seabed hydrophone is used to analyze the broadband response (10 Hz to 62.5 kHz) for various source configurations: single air guns, clustered air guns, and a full array consisting of 30 air guns. The various parts of the acoustic signal are analyzed in detail, and it is found that a high-frequency signal arriving prior to the main peak of a single air-gun signal most likely is caused by small vapor cavities collapsing at or close to the surface of the gun. This is confirmed by high-speed photographs taken when a small air gun is fired in a water tank. When the full array is used, a second type of cavitation signal is observed: ghost cavitation caused by acoustic stimulation by the negative pressure that is backscattered from the free surface. As this ghost signal from 30 different guns arrives at a specific location in the water, cavities might be formed, and they create a high-frequency acoustic signal.

Assessing auditory masking for management of underwater anthropogenic noise.

Masking is often assessed by quantifying changes, due to increasing noise, to an animal's communication or listening range. While the methods used to measure communication or listening ranges are functionally similar if used for vocalizations, they differ in their approaches: communication range is focused on the sender's call, while the listening range is centered on the listener's ability to perceive any signal. How these two methods differ in their use and output is important for management recommendations. Therefore it was investigated how these two methods may alter the conclusions of masking assessments based on Atlantic cod calls in the presence of a commercial air gun array. The two methods diverged with increasing distance from the masking noise source with maximum effects lasting longer between air gun pulses in terms of communication range than listening range. Reductions in the cod's communication ranges were sensitive to fluctuations in the call's source level. That instability was not observed for the listening range. Overall, changes to the cod's communication range were more conservative but very sensitive to the call source level. A high level of confidence in the call is therefore required, while confidence in the receiver's audiogram and soundscape is required for the listening range method.

Optimizing spatial distribution to minimize the inline directivity for a marine air-gun source

The spatial distribution of an air-gun array and the ghost reflection from the air-water interface cause a directional pattern of the source signature and introduce notches at certain frequencies. This significantly limits the bandwidth of the seismic data and the ability to obtain high-resolution subsurface imaging. With mathematical derivation and numerical simulation, we have determined that the inline directivity relies on the number of air guns and their spacing. Furthermore, the effective width of the take-off angles for an air-gun array is highly correlated with the reciprocal of the distance variance along the inline direction, which is subsequently used for optimizing the source design. For a normal horizontal source, one could adjust the distance between two consecutive air guns to improve the source signature. We optimize the spatial distribution for air guns along the inline and depth directions, that is, by using the synchronized multidepth stimulation mode, to minimize the inline directivity. Simulated results show that a six-gun composed multidepth source could be designed to achieve nearly identical energy distribution with up to ±30° take-off angle for the high-frequency end up to 250 Hz. This represents a significant improvement compared to a normal horizontal source and is more suitable for high-resolution seismic acquisition.

Ships and air guns reduce social interactions in humpback whales at greater ranges than other behavioral impacts

Understanding the interactions between human activity in the ocean and marine mammals is a fundamental step to developing responsible mitigation measures and informing policy. Here, the response of migrating humpback whales to vessels towing seismic air gun arrays (on or off) was quantified as a reduction in their likelihood of socially interacting (joining together). Groups were significantly less likely to participate in a joining interaction in the presence of a vessel, regardless of whether or not the air guns were active. This reduction was especially pronounced in groups within a social environment that favored joining, that is, when singing whales or other groups were nearby. Seismic survey mitigation practices are designed primarily to prevent damage to whales' hearing from close-by sources. Here, we found potentially detrimental behavioral changes at much greater ranges, and much lower received levels, than those used for current mitigation recommendations.