US Patent 7778109 Current prediction in seismic surveys

A method for use in seismic surveying includes determining the shape of a seismic cable during a seismic survey; determining the tension on the seismic cable at a plurality of points along the seismic cable; and predicting a current that will impact the seismic cable from the determined shape and the determined tension. The method may be practiced two-dimensionally in the context of a marine survey employing a towed streamer array or three-dimensionally in the context of laying an array of ocean bottom cables on the seabed. The predicted currents can, in some embodiments, be used to make steering corrections for the seismic cables.