Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, concealing crucial geological structures such as subduction zones and rift systems. To study these formations, ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) are deployed to record seismic waves penetrating the lithosphere. In the hydrocarbon industry, thousands of OBS units are placed at intervals of several hundred meters, enabling high-quality data collection. However, in academic research, OBS arrays are much sparser, leading to lower-resolution geological models. The project aims to optimize OBS deployment and data processing in academic studies to improve the accuracy of seismic imaging. Advanced seismic imaging techniques, such as seismic tomography and full-waveform inversion, will be adapted to the specific nature of academic datasets.

Project objectives: 

Enhancing the accuracy of geological model reconstructions by optimizing the deployment and processing of oceanic seismic data in academic research.

Project Duration:
March 1, 2025 –
Total Budget: 1,847,080 PLN
Principal Investigator: Dr. hab. inż. Andrzej Górszczyk
Expected outcomes:
  •  Development of guidelines for optimal OBS deployment in academic seismic experiments.
  •  Adaptation of advanced seismic processing techniques to lower-resolution academic data.
  •  Improvement in the quality of geological model reconstructions in academic research.
The project will contribute to a better understanding of Earth’s internal processes by enabling more precise investigations of geological structures beneath the ocean floor. Optimizing the acquisition and processing of oceanic seismic data in academic studies may also drive the development of new technologies and methodologies in geophysics.