diagram of the Sound Surveillance System

The SOund SUrveillance System or SOSUS consists of bottom mounted hydrophone arrays connected by undersea communication cables to facilities on shore. The hydrophone arrays are located within the SOFAR or deep sound channel along the continental slope and seamounts, and therefore this system can detect even relatively quiet sounds over hundreds of kilometers. (Illustration credit - Naval Research Laboratory). Image courtesy of Sounds in the Sea 2001, NOAA/OER.

Related Links

Sound in the Sea

Sound in the Sea: Technology

Maps Gallery