High-resolution multi-parameter characterization of the subsurface using full waveform inversion on broadband data: application to the oceanic crust in the North Sea using a dense ocean bottom cable dataset

Summary This study focuses on the hydrophone component of a dense ocean bottom cable dataset from the North Sea. This data had already been used in the past to illustrate the high resolution power of full waveform inversion based strategies. We have developed a highly scalable implementation of a visco-acoustic full waveform inversion engine making it possible to double the frequency content of the inverted data compared to previous studies, using simultaneously up to almost 50,000 CPU. This results in a multi-parameter reconstruction of the subsurface, where the P-wave velocity, the density and the quality factor are reliably reconstructed down to 2 km depth, with a resolution of about 10 meters.