Many frigid exploration and production areas are characterized by environmentally sensitive tundra and marshy, muskeg conditions that require seismic data to be acquired when the ground is frozen.
Seismic equipment and processing techniques that work well in warmer climates often do not work well in very cold areas, are not efficient or result in severe imaging problems. Acquisition seasons are limited, every day counts and improving operational efficiency means that contractors can acquire more data during the short season. Shallow, highly variable, high velocity zones make imaging difficult and require new survey design approaches, sensor technology, and processing techniques.
With the opening of new exploration and development opportunities in Russia and with North American natural gas demand driving exploration and development in Alaska and northern Canada, the oil and gas industry requires imaging technology that solves critical imaging and operational challenges:
