The effect of inhomogeneous water on seismic imaging in deepwater areas of the South China Sea

This paper examines the effect of inhomogeneous water on seismic imaging in deep water areas. An appropriate partial differential equation is derived for the acoustic pressure field in inhomogeneous water, including current effects. Seismic wavefields are simulated and the results show that the traveltime of seismic waves can be affected. The maximum traveltime perturbation at zero offset is 20 ms. In particular, the structure of horizontal reflectors below the water is distorted by mesoscale eddies. Variations of water temperature are the fundamental cause of the distortion. Finally, a calibration method for the distortion of seismic imaging caused by inhomogeneous water is presented.