Seabed seismic processing for elastic full waveform inversion

A system for modeling a subsurface area of a seabed using fewer seismic sensors than a number of seismic sensors that generate sufficient data to permit a desired model of the subsurface area, the system comprising:

• a computer processor;
• a plurality of seismic sensors, wherein the plurality of seismic sensors comprises the fewer seismic sensors, and wherein the plurality of seismic sensors are located at a plurality of points defined in relation to the seabed;
• a data repository in communication with the computer processor and storing:
• a plurality of seismic datasets,
• boundary conditions of a seismic wavefield at a fluid-solid interface between the seabed and water above the seabed,
• a plurality of virtual datasets wherein each of the plurality of virtual datasets comprises corresponding estimated data for an additional plurality of points defined in relation to the seabed, and
• a subsurface model;
• and
• a server controller executable by the computer processor to:
• receive the plurality of seismic datasets from the plurality of seismic sensors,
• identify the boundary conditions,
• estimate, from the plurality of seismic datasets and the boundary conditions, the plurality of virtual datasets, wherein the plurality of points and the additional plurality of points, combined, are sufficient to permit the desired model of the subsurface area, and
• generate the subsurface model of the subsurface area by modeling the subsurface area using the plurality of seismic datasets and the plurality of virtual datasets.