Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Mirjam Snellen1, Koen Duijnmayer1, Guy G. Drijkoningen2, Dick G. Simons1 Acoustic Remote Sensing Group, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Department of Geo-technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
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Delft University of Technology

Challenge the future

Introduction
Knowledge of underwater sediment layers for example relevant for: Dredging Off-shore construction works Retrieving sand for concrete production Geology Traditional acquisition: Bottom sampling Boreholes Many samples needed!

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Introduction, continued
Acoustic remote sensing techniques for sediment classification are of high interest: Multi-beam and single-beam systems for the upper part of the sediment

Low frequency seismic systems allow for retrieving information regarding the deeper sediment layers
Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Introduction, continued

Measurement configuration:

Two seismic data sets have been acquired:

North Sea, The Netherlands Danube River, Hungary

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Introduction, continued

Measurement configuration:

Two seismic data sets have been acquired:

North Sea, The Netherlands Danube River, Hungary

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Description of the data set

Logistics and area
Survey carried out in June
2002 Four tracks sailed Sampling frequency of 3000 Hz One shot per 5 seconds Sailing speed 1-2 m/s Distance between shots: ~ 10 m SBES for measuring the water depth Source-receiver distance ~20 m
Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Description of the data set

Source and Receiver characteristics
Airgun used as the acoustic source (200 Hz)

Source at 1.5 m depth Array (53 m) with 18 hydrophone groups (12 hydrophones each) Array kept in the middle of the water column

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Description of the data set

Example of acquired data

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Classification approach
General
Model-data match based on received signal shape Forward modeling based on broadband normal mode modeling Due to varying measurement geometry, inversion for both geometric and geo-acoustic parameters

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

Classification approach
Assumed model
Model input parameters:
Source depth Receiver depth Distance source - receiver Water depth Water sound speed Sediment sound speed Sediment density Sediment attenuation High speed virtual sub-bottom to overcome long-range approximation
Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Classification approach
Assumed model, expected results

For the environment and measurement geometry considered, received signals are expected to be hardly influenced by the attenuation coefficient
Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Classification approach
The optimization approach

The search bounds:

Energy function is based on the correlation between modeled and measured matched filtered signals Differential evolution used for the optimization

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Results
Track 7, 45
Results for tracks 7 and 45 similar Geometric parameters agree with known values. Estimates for the geo-acoustic parameters (track 7):
In agreement with expected value. Precision can be increased through the use of a higher sampling rate

1600-1650 m/s up to 3500 m, no reliable estimates from 3500-6000 m

Lower than expected based on the sound speed estimates. At least partly due to neglecting shear waves

Almost random, as expected

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Results
Track 7, 45, continued

Geometry causes interference of arrivals Uncertainty about the exact source pulse prevents exact reconstruction of the received signal

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Results
Track 70

Again the geometric parameters in agreement with known measurement configuration Estimates for the geo-acoustic parameters stable along the track From ~900 m on, sound speed estimates at two distinct values Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Results
Track 70, dual layer inversions

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Results
Validation

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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 Measurement configuration:

Two seismic data sets have been acquired:

North Sea, The Netherlands Danube River, Hungary

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Description of the data set

Area

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Description of the data set

Logistics
Survey carried out in October 2008 Source and receiver array spaced 30 m apart Sample frequencies of 2000 and 8000 Hz All tracks were sailed in upstream direction (sailing speed of 1 m/s) One shot every 4.5 sec (distance between shots ~ 4 m) GPS receivers at mounted close to source and receiver

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Description of the data set

Source and Receiver characteristics
Airgun used as the acoustic source (150 Hz)

Source placed at 1.3 and 2.0 m depth Reference hydrophone used for measuring the emitted signal For tracks 1 and 4: Array with 24 hydrophone groups (4 hydrophones each) Array at the air-water interface
Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Description of the data set

Example of acquired data

Surface waves (propagation speed of 200 -300 m/s)

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Description of the data set

Ground truth
Vertical seismic profile (VSP) data 12 hydrophones 82.5 m deep borehole Source at 20 m from borehole Analysis of VSP data: 1745 m/s sediment sound speed

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Classification approach
General
Uncertainties in the source pulse, combined with the shallow water high sediment sound speed environment prevented classification conform the approach taken for the North Sea data:
Modelling of the complete echo shape Searching for all unknown geo-acoustic and geometric parameters by maximizing the model-data agreement

Alternative approach for classification based on the head waves (travel time tomography)

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Classification approach
Illustration of head waves

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Classification approach
Assumed model

Sediment characterization by geo-acoustic inversion in a shallow water environment using standard seismic equipment

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Classification approach
Cost function and optimization approach
Cost function:

Source depth, water depth and water sound speed set to: 1.3 m, 3.5 m, and 1448 m/s Estimates for source-receiver range constrained by GPS measurements

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Results
The estimated sediment sound speed
VSP: 1745 m/s

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Conclusions
Methods developed that allow for sediment classification based on standard seismic measurements The first approach was successfully applied to the North Sea dataset
The geometry and source pulse need to be known very well for precise and accurate results Because of neglecting elastic waves, an effective density is inverted for A second sediment layer is present at the end of track 70 The measurement geometry is such that the signals contain almost no information of the sediment attenuation coefficient Additional groundtruth needed

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Conclusions, continued
The second approach is based on inversion of data taken with a seismic measurement configuration
Sound speed estimate in agreement with VSP derived sound speed A sufficiently large distance between source and receiver is required Combination with bathymetry information

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