Sonobuoy launch

Co-chief scientist Nathan Miller throwing a sonobuoy over the side of research vessel Ocean Starr. As the ship moved away from the instrument, the sonobuoy received sound waves that had originated from the sparker and then penetrated and traveled through sediment layers below the seafloor. Processing of the sound waves that came back to the sonobuoy yielded information about physical properties of the sub-seafloor materials.