Synthetic Modeling for an Acoustic Exploration System for Physical Oceanography

Marine multichannel seismic (MCS) data, used to obtain structural reflection images of the earth's subsurface, can also be used in physical oceanography exploration. This method provides vertical and lateral resolutions of O(10-100) m, covering the existing observational gap in oceanic exploration. All MCS data used so far in physical oceanography studies have been acquired using conventional seismic instrumentation originally designed for geological exploration. This work presents the proof of concept of an alternative MCS system that is better adapted to physical oceanography and has two goals: 1) to have an environmentally low-impact acoustic source to minimize any potential disturbance to marine life and 2) to be light and portable, thus being installed on midsize oceanographic vessels. The synthetic experiments simulate the main variables of the source, shooting, and streamer involved in the MCS technique. The proposed system utilizes a 5-s-long exponential chirp source of 208 dB relative to 1 mu Pa at 1 m with a frequency content of 20-100 Hz and a relatively short 500-m-long streamer with 100 channels. This study exemplifies through numerical simulations that the 5-s-long chirp source can reduce the peak of the pressure signal by 26 dB with respect to equivalent air gun-based sources by spreading the energy in time, greatly reducing the impact to marine life. Additionally, the proposed system could be transported and installed in midsize oceanographic vessels, opening new horizons in acoustic oceanography research.