• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.193-206
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• 2004

Geophysical data including chirp (3 7 kHz) subbottom profile and detailed bathymetry were obtained over three seamounts in the Ogasawara Fracture Zone (OFZ) of the western Pacific, as a part of manganese crust survey onboard R/V Onnuri in 2003. The OFZ is a 150-km-wide, 600-km-long rift zone, which separates the East Mariana and Pigafetta Basin. The OFZ is unique in that it includes many seamounts (e.g., Magellan Seamounts andseamounts on the Dutton Ridge). The sub-seafloor acoustic echoes obtained near the OFZ were classified into following types on the basis of their characteristics: types I-1(pelagic sediment with parallel or subparallel reflectors), I-2 (pelagic sediment with no internal reflectors), and III-1 (reef build-up complex) on summit; types II-1 and III-2 (basement outcrop) on flank rift zone and upper slope, respectively; type III-3 (slump) on the lower slope and embayment between the flank rift zones; types II-2 (debrite) on the base of slope and basin floor; and types II-3 (turbidite or pelagic sediment) and II-4 (turbidite) on the basin floor. The mass-wasting that produced the complex of type II-2 debrite and III-3 slump on the lower slope and basin may have been caused by (1) strong tensional stress in the OFZ which may cause the numerous fissures or basement faults and (2) complex of the faults on the summit and steep upper slope. The variations in the echo type of pelagic sediment in the summit of seamounts may be related with the changes in the depositional and/or erosional environments. Type I-2 pelagic sediment, which is characterized by a thin and intermittent coverage, was probably deposited at a sheltered area when the current was strong, whereas type I-1 pelagic deposit occurred during a stage of progressive sedimentation.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 2011

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) present the important advantage of being able to approach the seafloor more closely than surface vessel surveys can. To collect bathymetric data, bottom material information, and sub-surface images, multibeam echosounder, sidescan sonar (SSS) and subbottom profiler (SBP) equipment mounted on an AUV are powerful tools. The 3000m class AUV URASHIMA was developed by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). After finishing the engineering development and examination phase of a fuel-cell system used for the vehicle's power supply system, a renovated lithium-ion battery power system was installed in URASHIMA. The AUV was redeployed from its prior engineering tasks to scientific use. Various scientific instruments were loaded on the vehicle, and experimental dives for science-oriented missions conducted from 2006. During the experimental cruise of 2007, high-resolution acoustic images were obtained by SSS and SBP on the URASHIMA around the northern Kumano Basin off Japan's Kii Peninsula. The map of backscatter intensity data revealed many debris objects, and SBP images revealed the subsurface structure around the north-eastern end of our study area. These features suggest a structure related to the formation of the latest submarine fan. However, a strong reflection layer exists below ~20 ms below the seafloor in the south-western area, which we interpret as a denudation feature, now covered with younger surface sediments. We continue to improve the vehicle's performance, and expect that many fruitful results will be obtained using URASHIMA.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.192-198
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• 2009

Side scan sonar and SBP (sub-bottom profiler) play a very important role in the survey for seafloor imaging and sub-bottom profiling. In this study, we have acquired side scan sonar and SBP data from the artificial reef area. We applied digital image processing techniques to side scan sonar data in order to improve an image quality. For the enhancement of data quality and image resolution, we applied the typical seismic data processing sequence including gain recovery, muting, spectrum analysis, predictive deconvolution, migration to SBP data. We could easily estimate if artificial reef structures were settled properly and their distribution on the seafloor from the integrated interpretation of side scan sonar and SBP data. From the sampling analysis of seabed sediments, texture filtering of side scan sonar data and SBP data interpretation, we could evaluate the sediment type, distribution and thickness of seafloor sediments in detail.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.308-314
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sea floor using a seismic profiler in the northern part of Chagwi-do of Jeju Island in order to select the optimal location for the 60-m-class berth of a sea test bed for wave energy converters and provide basic environmental data for designing a suction anchor. The echo types of the seismic profiles were classified based on the study of Kim et al. (2016a), and the location for installing the suction anchor was selected based on a sediment thickness of more than 10 m. The physical properties of the surface sediments were determined by analyzing the sediment samples obtained from 16 grab sample points. Based on the investigation and analysis, we proposed a survey area in the North-Eastern sea as an optimum location for the 60-m-class berth where the suction anchor could be installed.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.78-88
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• 2021

Owing to the abnormal weather conditions due to global warming, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has attracted global attention as a countermeasure to reduce CO₂ emissions. In the Pohang CCS demonstration project in South Korea, 100 tons of CO₂ were successfully injected into the subsurface CO₂ storage in early 2017. However, after the 2017 Pohang earthquake, the Pohang CCS demonstration project was suspended due to an increase in social concerns about the safety of the CCS project. In this study, to reconfirm the structural suitability of the CO₂ storage site in the Pohang Basin, we employed seismic imaging based on reverse-time migration (RTM) to analyze small-scale ocean-bottom seismic data, which have not been utilized in previous studies. Compared with seismic images using marine streamer data, the continuity of subsurface layers in the RTM image using the ocean-bottom seismic data is improved. Based on the obtained subsurface image, we discuss the structural suitability of the Pohang CO₂ storage site.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.112-124
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• 2018

Ocean-bottom seismic survey is a seismic acquisition technique which measures data by installing 4-component receiver on the sea floor. It can produce more improved data in quality than any other acquisition techniques. In the ocean-bottom seismic survey, however, the number of receivers is limited due to high cost. Since only a small number of receivers are used for acquisition, ocean-bottom seismic data may suffer from discontinuities of events over traces, which can result in spatial aliasing. In this paper, we implemented Kirchhoff migration using mirror-imaging algorithm to improve the quality of ocean-bottom seismic image. In order to implement the mirror imaging algorithm, the seismograms should be separated into up-going and down-going wavefields and the down-going wavefield should be used for migration. In this paper, we use the P-Z summation method to separate the wavefield. Numerical examples show that the migration results using mirror imaging algorithm have wider illumination than the conventional migration, especially in the shallow layers.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.497-500
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• 2007

탄성파 코다 파는 두 수진기에서 기록된 탄성파 자료의 상호상관으로부터 두 신호에 대한 순간응답을 구하고 이로부터 지층정보를 구하는데 이용된다. 여기에서는 인공합성 탄성파 자료와 가스 하이드레이트 현장자료에 적용하여 상호상관 모음도와 가상음원 모음도 (virtual source)를 구하고자 하였다. 인공합성자료는 해저면 탄성파 탐사법 (ocean bottom seismic)을 모델로 이용하여 인공합성 탄성파 단면도를 제작하였으며, 탄성파 코다 파를 살펴보기 위해 인공 OBS 자료 중 첫 번째 트레이스를 가상음원으로 정하고 모든 음원 모음도와 상호상관으로 가상응원 단면도를 제작하였다. 현장자료 적용으로는 해저면 기인 고진폭 반사파인 BSR (bottom simulating reflection)을 포함하고 있는 자료를 선정하여 상호상관 단면도와 가상음원 단면도를 제작하였다. 중합단면도상에 나타난 가스 분출지역은 상호상관 단면도에서도 나타났으며, 중합단면도상 BSR부분은 vs 단면도에서 강한 반사파를 보여줌을 알 수 있었다.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.143-150
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• 1993

Shallow sub-bottom reflection recorders are obtained using dual frequency (15/100 KHz). The main goal of this study is to enhance the resolving power and penetration for the sub-bottom reflection of the sub-marine seismic exploration. The Fresnel zones of spherical waves for the near-field are of great importance to reach the high resoluton. In case a target to detects than the Fresnel radius, a diffraction hyperbola on the recorder is observed. A larger attenuation of sand makes less penetration than the smaller attenuation of silt and clay. It is found that the selective frequency as well as the seismic energy generation is the most important factors for sub-marine exploration. This technique of using dual frequency sub-marine exploration may be applied to detect the sub-bottom sludge soil, ocean contamination and marine archaeological relics.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.207-215
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• 2004

As the sea connecting with the East Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk is the most potential area of gas hydrates in the world. In other to examine geophysical structures of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the Sea of Okhotsk, the CHAOS (hydro-Carbon Hydrate Accumulation in the Okhotsk) international research expedition was carried out in August 2003. In the expedition, high-resolution seismic and geochemical survey was also conducted. Sparker seismic profiles show only diffusive high-amplitude reflections without BSRs at BSR depth. It means that BSR appears to be completely different images on seismic profiles obtained using different frequencies. Many gas chimneys rise up from BSR depth to seafloor. The chimneys can be divided into two groups with different seismic characteristics; wipe-out (WO) and enhanced reflection (ER) chimneys. Different seismic responses in the chimneys would be caused by amount of gas and gas hydrates filling in the chimneys. In hydroacoustic data, a lot of gas flares rise up several hundreds meters from seafloor to the water column. All flares took placed at the depths within gas hydrate stability zone. It is interpreted that gas hydrate-bearing sediments with low porosity and permeability due to gas hydrate filling in the pore space make good pipe around gas chimneys in which gas is migrating up without loss of amount. Therefore, large-scale gas flare at the site on gas chimney releases into the water column.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.626-629
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• 2005

새로운 에너지 자원으로 활용 가능성을 포함하고 있는 가스 하이드레이트를 조사하기 위해 한국지질자원연구원에서는 동해일원에서 탄성파탐사를 실시하고 있다. 탄성파 반사자료로부터 가스 하이드레이트 부존여부를 확인하는 방법은 해저면과 평행하면서 위상이 반대로 나타나는 고진폭 반사파 BSR (Bottom Simulating Reflect ion)과 BSR 상부에서의 진폭감소, 하부에서 진폭증가와 구간속도 감소 등을 들 수 있다. 그러나 고진폭 반사파는 free gas 또는 실리카를 포함하는 퇴적층에서도 발생하므로 이를 구별할 수 있는 방법이 필요하다. 여기에서는 가스 하이드레이트 탐사자료에 대한 일반자료처리와 함께 가스층 존재 유무를 확인하는 방법으로 많이 이용되는 탄성파 복소분석법을 적응하였다. 가스 하이드레이트 부존 유망지역에 대해 순간진폭, 순간진폭에 대한 1차, 2차 미분, 순간위상, 순간주파수 단면도를 제작하여 중합단면도와 비교하였으며 그 결과 순간진폭단면도의 경우 강한 BSR이 나타나는 지층경계면에서 순간진폭변화 차이를 강하게 보였으며, 순간주파수 단면도의 경우 BSR지역에서 고주파에서 저주파수로 변화함을 확인할 수 있었다.