f Increased Temporal Bandwidth Using Hydrophone Only Recording and Conventional Airgun Arrays – Why Not?

Usable bandwidth is determined by the signal to noise ratio rather than just signal. Modern streamers have superior noise performance compared to older versions and this reduction in noise seems to have been overlooked in the search for greater temporal bandwidth. Above approximately 2Hz the noise floor is determined by environmental issues such as swell noise and cable jerk rather than noise inherent to the equipment. Tests show that a usable temporal bandwidth of at least 3-90Hz can be obtained using a conventional airgun array and modern hydrophone only recording when a) the sea surface is not a perfect mirror and b) the streamer is towed in a deep, quiet environment.