Active detection of marine mammals during seismic surveying
AssigneeWesternGeco L.L.C.
InventorsHalvor S. Groenaas (Grønaas), Svein Arne Frivik
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An embodiment according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure for conducting a marine survey includes towing a survey spread comprising a plurality of receivers and an energy source along a selected course; emitting a signal from an energy source; receiving backscattered acoustic signals at the receivers; and actively detecting a cetacean from the received data.
Claims24
A method for actively detecting marine mammals during a seismic survey, comprising:
- towing a seismic spread having one or more sources and one or more receivers;
- emitting acoustic signals from the one or more sources, such acoustic signals generating backscattered energy when the acoustic signals intercept a marine mammal and a geological formation;
- receiving at least some of the backscattered energy at the one or more receivers;
- generating data from the at least some of the backscattered energy;
- and
- processing the data to initially detect the marine mammal based on time origin of the acoustic signals and the time at which at least some of the backscattered energy is received at the one or more receivers.
A method for actively detecting and passively monitoring marine mammals during a seismic survey, comprising:
- towing a seismic spread having one or more sources and one or more receivers;
- emitting acoustic signals from the one or more sources, such acoustic signals generating backscattered energy when the acoustic signals intercept a marine mammal and a geological formation;
- receiving at least some of the backscattered energy at the one or more receivers;
- generating data from the backscattered energy;
- processing the data to initially detect the marine mammal based on time origin of the acoustic signals and the time at which at least some of the backscattered energy is received at the one or more receivers;
- and
- monitoring the marine mammal after detection by detecting one or more vocalizations of the marine mammal.
A system for active marine mammal detection integrated into a marine survey system, comprising:
- an energy source for emitting acoustic signals;
- an array of receivers adapted to receive backscattered energy generated when the acoustic signals intercept a marine mammal and a geological formation, and adapted to generate data from the backscattered energy;
- and
- a processing unit adapted to receive and process the data associated with the backscattered acoustic signals to initially detect a marine mammal based on time origin of the acoustic signals and the time at which at least some of the backscattered energy is received at the one or more receivers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.