Methods for Swell Noise Attenuation in Marine Seismic Data

Abstract

Korea Seismic Line 2010 that is multi-channel seismic data was collected during the 2010- 11 austral summer with IBRV Araon in the South Shetland Continental Margin, Antarctica. More than half of all traces of KSL10-1, the first line of Korea Seismic Line 2010, were contaminated by swell noise from rough weather conditions. The swell noise in the seismic data showed high amplitude and most of energy was concentrated from 5 to 25 hertz in the frequency domain. These characteristics made more difficult to attenuate swell noise in the seismic data. Because remaining swell noise decrease reflection continuity in the seismic section, F-X spatial prediction error filter and threshold filter added to the seismic data processing flow. Complex effect of these two methods was able to attenuate the swell noise in KSL10-1 with minimizing signal loss. The result of these methods showed better quality and more high resolution than before.