Modelling and detection of submarine bubble plumes using seismic oceanography

Abstract Submarine bubble plumes are associated with the fluid migration at hydrothermal systems, cold seeps, serpentinization processes, and areas of active tectonics. This work aims to investigate the potential of the seismic oceanography method for the detection and investigation of processes related to submarine bubble plumes formation. This is achieved through numerical simulation, for simultaneously acquired seismic reflection and physical oceanographic data. A submarine bubble plume model is established that matches the recorded characteristics and inherent properties of actual plumes, and synthetic shot records and seismic oceanography sections are generated from which the seismic responses of submarine bubble plumes can be identified. Seismic attribute analysis is then performed on the profiles to further investigate and analyze the seismic responses of submarine bubble plumes. The numerical simulation and synthetic examples shown here demonstrate the feasibility of the seismic oceanography method to investigate the dynamics of processes related to submarine bubble plumes.