Abstract

This paper discusses present trends in ocean-bottom seismic (OBS) data processing. Current industrial practices for P-wave processing are described, discussed and exemplified using synthetic and real data examples. The discussion highlights the evolution of OBS processing techniques from inception to present time. Initially, specialized OBS processing aimed at the attenuation of water layer reverberations only. Later on, processing progressed towards a more complete wavefield separation approach and new applications emerged, such as more sophisticated P (pressure) and Z (vertical component) calibration, up-down deconvolution, and mirror imaging. The transition of these applications to standard practice is still ongoing but progressing rapidly, backed by theoretical correctness and the quality of practical results on field data.