Will marine seismic data benefit from dual-sensor towed streamers?

For decades, it has been known mathematically that if one could simultaneously measure the acoustic pressure and particle velocity aspects of a compressional wave in water, then certain benefits would accrue. Among these benefits is the ability to tow streamers deeper, in a quieter environment, resulting in an improved “weather window,” as well as the removal of the down-going wavefield component that is reflected from the sea surface, thereby recovering significant high- and low-frequency amplitudes normally missing from conventional seismic data. Until now, the actual construction of such dual, collocated sensors on a streamer, as well as understanding how best to use them, had not been achieved. At the June EAGE annual meeting in London, PGS announced that it had made such an achievement. As one might expect, there was considerable interest in the new technology, as well as the sort of skepticism and questions that would be expected from the exploration community.