Broadband Marine Seismic, Does Acquisition Make a Difference?

Expanding the bandwidth of surface seismic data, particularly towards low frequencies, is essential for many exploration and production objectives. Broader band signals, both in land and marine environments have marked benefits for imaging deeper targets, imaging through absorptive overburdens, and especially inversion for rock properties. Various methods have been proposed and implemented to expand seismic bandwidth; these include both acquisition and signal processing methods. A question that is often asked is how much difference does changing the acquisition geometry make? In this paper, we present a case study of a consistent, experimental offshore dataset in Southeast Asia. This data consists of a single boat pass of four different cable depth configurations. These data were then processed with their appropriate deghosting methods and results compared. In addition, we examine methods for evaluating the success of these methods and their potential pitfalls.