Synthetic modelling of acoustical propagation applied to seismic oceanography experiments

Recent work shows that multichannel seismic (MCS) systems provide detailed information on the oceans' finestructure. The aim of this paper is to analyze if high order numerical algorithms are suitable to accurately model the extremely weak wavefield scattered by the oceans' finestructures. For this purpose, we generate synthetic shot records along a coincident seismic and oceanographic profile acquired across a Mediterranean salt lens in the Gulf of Cadiz. We apply a 2D finite-difference time-domain propagation model, together with second-order Complex Frequency Shifted Perfectly Matched Layers at the numerical boundaries, using as reference a realistic sound speed map with the lateral resolution of the seismic data. We show that our numerical propagator creates an acoustical image of the ocean finestructures including the salt lens that reproduces with outstanding detail the real acquired one. Citation: Kormann, J., P. Cobo, B. Biescas, V. Sallares, C. Papenberg, M. Recuero, and R. Carbonell (2010), Synthetic modelling of acoustical propagation applied to seismic oceanography experiments, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L00D90, doi:10.1029/2009GL041763.