Seismic oceanography imaging of ocean current and methane hydrate in offshore Taiwan

We demonstrate an attempt on seismic oceanography (SO) study by using seismic “noise” for imaging Kuroshio Current in the offshore Taiwan. The Kuroshio around Taiwan has moderate seasonal variation but with complicated spatial distribution. Multi-Channel Seismic (MCS) reflection profiling has the advantages for detecting any impedance changes associated with physical processes (temperature, salinity, density and current speed) involved within the water mass and can be further modified by seafloor bathymetry changes and sedimentation processes. Such fully recoverable, laterally continuous and resolvable depth target features for qualitative interpretation and investigation of `ground truth' associate with physical oceanography processes involved within the ocean water column can be investigated to explore its feasibility. Through careful process of long-offset MCS data, highly resolvable images of ocean thermohaline fine structure and Bottom Simulating Reflectors (BSRs) can be simultaneously achieved. Correlation between seismic image with XBT and CTD surveys further validated our interpretation and its feasibility of using SO for imaging ocean currents.