The spectral ratio method for measuring absorption and also dispersion from seismic data has been examined. Corrections for frequency-dependent losses due to reflections and transmissions have been shown to be an important step in the method. Synthetic examples have been used to illustrate the method, and the method has been applied to one real data case from a sedimentary basin in the Beaufort Sea. Measured Q values were 43¿2 for a depth interval of 549-1193 m and 67¿6 for a depth interval of 945-1311 m. Dispersion was also measured in the data and is consistent with Futterman's model.