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A Study of Ambient Noise over an Onshore Oil Field in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The Petroleum Institute, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates mali{at}pi.ac.ae

^* Now at Managing Consultant, Mollegata 90, 4008 Stavanger, Norway.

The characteristics of ambient noise over an onshore oil field in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, have been investigated using arrays of three-component broadband seismometers by means of spectral amplitude and array wavenumber analysis within a frequency range of 0.1–10 Hz. The experiment was conducted to better understand the characteristics and origins of microseism (0.15–0.4 Hz) and microtremor (about 2.0–3.0 Hz) signals that have been reported as being a hydrocarbon indicator above several reservoirs in the region. The results of this study indicate that the long-period double-frequency peaks of microseism signals are generated by oceanic storms in the Arabian Sea as confirmed by data acquired throughout the impact of Cyclone Gonu on the coast of Oman. The study demonstrates that a narrowband of microtremor signals has no clear correlation with the recorded microseism signals. Cyclical daily and weekly variations in the spectral amplitudes of the signals clearly correlate with human activity. The results of this study, therefore, indicate that in this location the microseism and microtremor signals are not related to the presence of hydrocarbons in the subsurface but may be attributed to meteorological and anthropogenic effects, respectively.