We present a new method to stabilize the three-term AVO inversion using Curvelet and Wavelet transforms. Curvelets are basis functions that effectively represent otherwise smooth objects having discontinuities along smooth curves. The applied formalism explores them to make the most of the continuity along reflectors in seismic images. Combined with Wavelets, Curvelets are used to denoise the data by penalizing high frequencies and small contributions in the AVO-cube. This approach is based on the idea that rapid amplitude changes along the ray-parameter axis are most likely due to noise. The AVO-inverse problem is linearized, formulated and solved for all (x, z) at once. Using densities and velocities of the Marmousi model to define the fluctuations in the elastic properties, the performance of the proposed method is studied and compared with the smoothing along the ray-parameter direction only. We show that our method better approximates the true data after the denoising step, especially when noise level increases.

In this paper, the property of Curvelet transforms for preconditioning the migration and normal operators is investigated. These operators belong to the class of Fourier integral operators and pseudo-differential operators, respectively. The effect of this preconditioner is shown in term of improvement of sparsity, convergence rate, number of iteration for the Krylov-subspace solver and clustering of singular(eigen) values. The migration operator, which we employed in this work is the common-offset Kirchoff-Born migration.

Predictive multiple suppression methods consist of two main steps: a prediction step, in which multiples are predicted from the seismic data, and a subtraction step, in which the predicted multiples are matched with the true multiples in the data. The last step appears crucial in practice: an incorrect adaptive subtraction method will cause multiples to be sub-optimally subtracted or primaries being distorted, or both. Therefore, we propose a new domain for separation of primaries and multiples via the Curvelet transform. This transform maps the data into almost orthogonal localized events with a directional and spatialtemporal component. The multiples are suppressed by thresholding the input data at those Curvelet components where the predicted multiples have large amplitudes. In this way the more traditional filtering of predicted multiples to fit the input data is avoided. An initial field data example shows a considerable improvement in multiple suppression.

Predictive multiple suppression methods consist of two main steps: a prediction step, in which multiples are predicted from the seismic data, and a subtraction step, in which the predicted multiples are matched with the true multiples in the data. The last step appears crucial in practice: an incorrect adaptive subtraction method will cause multiples to be sub-optimally subtracted or primaries being distorted, or both. Therefore, we propose a new domain for separation of primaries and multiples via the Curvelet transform. This transform maps the data into almost orthogonal localized events with a directional and spatial-temporal component. The multiples are suppressed by thresholding the input data at those Curvelet components where the predicted multiples have large amplitudes. In this way the more traditional filtering of predicted multiples to fit the input data is avoided. An initial field data example shows a considerable improvement in multiple suppression.

We propose an efficient iterative curvelet-regularized deconvolution algorithm that exploits continuity along reflectors in seismic images. Curvelets are a new multiscale transform that provides sparse representations for images (such as seismic images) that comprise smooth objects separated by piece-wise smooth discontinuities. Our technique combines conjugate gradient-based convolution operator inversion with noise regularization that is performed using non-linear curvelet coefficient shrinkage (thresholding). The shrinkage operation leverages the sparsity of curvelets representations. Simulations demonstrate that our algorithm provides improved resolution compared to the traditional Wiener-based deconvolution approach.

In this abstract, we present a nonlinear curvelet-based sparsity promoting formulation of a seismic processing flow, consisting of the following steps: seismic data regularization and the restoration of migration amplitudes. We show that the curvelet’s wavefront detection capability and invariance under the migration-demigration operator lead to a formulation that is stable under noise and missing data.

Predictive multiple suppression methods consist of two main steps: a prediction step, in which multiples are predicted from the seismic data, and a subtraction step, in which the predicted multiples are matched with the true multiples in the data. The last step appears crucial in practice: an incorrect adaptive subtraction method will cause multiples to be sub-optimally subtracted or primaries being distorted, or both. Therefore, we propose a new domain for separation of primaries and multiples via the Curvelet transform. This transform maps the data into almost orthogonal localized events with a directional and spatial-temporal component. The multiples are suppressed by thresholding the input data at those Curvelet components where the predicted multiples have large amplitudes. In this way the more traditional filtering of predicted multiples to fit the input data is avoided. An initial field data example shows a considerable improvement in multiple suppression.

We propose using overlapping, tapered windows to process seismic data in parallel. This method consists of numerically tight linear operators and adjoints that are suitable for use in iterative algorithms. This method is also highly scalable and makes parallel processing of large seismic data sets feasible. We use this scheme to define the Parallel Windowed Fast Discrete Curvelet Transform (PWFDCT), which we apply to a seismic data interpolation algorithm. The successful performance of our parallel processing scheme and algorithm on a two-dimensional synthetic data is shown.

We have effectively identified and removed ground roll through a twostep process. The first step is to identify the major components of the ground roll through various methods including multiscale separation, directional or frequency filtering or by any other method that identifies the ground roll. Given this estimate for ground roll, the recorded signal is separated during the second step through a block-coordinate relaxation method that seeks the sparsest set for weighted curvelet coefficients of the ground roll and the sought-after reflectivity. The combination of these two methods allows us to separate out the ground roll signal while preserving the reflector information. Since our method is iterative, we have control of the separation process. We successfully tested our algorithm on a real data set with a complex ground roll and reflector structure.

In this paper, we present a nonlinear curvelet-based sparsity-promoting formulation for three problems related to seismic noise, namely the ’good’, corresponding to noise generated by random sampling; the ’bad’, corresponding to coherent noise for which (inaccurate) predictions exist and the ’ugly’ for which no predictions exist. We will show that the compressive capabilities of curvelets on seismic data and images can be used to tackle these three categories of noise-related problems.