Wavelet estimation from marine pressure measurements

Abstract

A new and alternative procedure for the deterministic estimation of the seismic source time function (wavelet) is proposed. This paper follows a series of reports on source signature estimation, requiring neither statistical assumptions on the signature nor any knowledge about the earth below the receivers. The proposed estimation method, which in principle is exact, uses conventional recordings of the pressure on a surface below the source and recordings of the pressure at one or more locations above the receiver surface. The derivation of the method is based on the Kirchhoff‐Helmholtz integral equation. The formulation ensures that the scattered energy is filtered from the wavelet estimation, enabling the wavelet to be detected from the direct pressure field. Along with the derivation, we present a numerical example.