Increasing Resolution for Early Site Characterization for Offshore Wind – Case Study

In this case, an early reconnaissance survey for an offshore wind farm site was designed to balance high-resolution in the shallow and penetration depth beyond the first 100 meters below seabed using a mini-airgun source. Original processing had significantly reduced resolution due to weather – related effects giving a large variation in resolution throughout the survey and interpretability of the data. A significant improvement was achieved by reprocessing using modern processing techniques with special attention to deghosting, designature, static corrections, as well as retaining the natural dense CMP spacing. The resulting data gave a more resolved image of the shallow subsurface used in creating the geological ground model. This is integrated with geotechnical data and ultimately ensure safe and suitable anchor and mooring line design. The improvements help to de-risk the offshore wind farm site early in the project life, avoiding costly design changes and surprises.