Yuefeng Sun, Texas A&M University

KAUST-IAMCS Workshop on Modeling and Simulation of Wave Propagation and Applications 2012

May 8-9, 2012

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2D and 3D Finite-Difference Modeling and Analysis of the Observed Scholte Waves from 4C OBS Data in the Shallow-Water Environment of the Persian Gulf

Authors:

• Yuefeng Sun, Texas A&M University
• Karl Berteussen, The Petroleum Institute (UAE)
  

The Persian Gulf where some of the world's most important oil and gas fields reside has an average water depth about 5-15 m. Such shallow water environment typical of the Persian Gulf presents unique challenges and opportunities to multi-component ocean bottom cable (OBC) seismic data acquisition, processing and analysis. Besides strong multiples, conversion of acoustic energy in the water column to shear wave energy in the seabed is substantially enhanced when the sea bottom is hard as in the coral reef area. Two-dimensional (2D) and 4-Component (4C) OBC data set acquired in the Persian Gulf reveals presence of Scholte waves with strong dispersions and other P-wave related interface waves. Both field data analysis and modeling results show that the velocity of Scholte wave decreases from about 1950 m/s as frequency increases from zero to about 100 Hz. Because the shot spacing interval and the receiver spacing interval are large, about 20 m and 25 m, respectively, the observed Scholte and other surface waves are severely aliased. Lateral variation of Scholte wave characteristics in the studied area agrees with the variation of the elastic properties of seabed as obtained by sonar data and direct diver observations.