Sonar Resources

This online physics text explains how to apply the acoustic wave equation to different situations. It just has a lot of information about waves in general—and did we mention that it's free?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, called NOAA for short, is the official, government-sponsored agency for studying the skies and oceans. Coincidentally, it has some great resources for sonar. Especially if you like your explanations to come with some nice visuals.

Fishers no longer rely just on their harpoons and tireless lust for revenge. Instead, they can also use sonar to find where those dastardly fish are hiding. You can find out more in the article.

You know your technology's made it big when NCIS uses it in an episode. This particular hour-long episode deals with a North Korean Sinpo-class submarine with nuclear warheads in the Sea of Japan, which was monitored by active sonar.

Handheld sonars: fairly uncommon, and possibly deadly? In this episode, a Navy SEAL dies mysteriously while out testing a handheld sonar device. The device disappears…also mysteriously. Coincidence? We think not—and neither does NCIS.

The world might have gone post-apocalyptic, but sonar sure hasn't. In this episode, Officer Mason uses sonar to find a submarine. It's probably haunted or filled with zombies. Could the sonar actually find that ship? Yes, but it would probably take much longer than it does in the hour-long episode.

What better way to exploit sonar than by exploring a reportedly haunted island in Nova Scotia? Apparently no better way, according to Rick and Marty Lagina, who use it to scan the island for hidden tunnels and chambers. We're a little skeptical that the sonar could actually detect anything 235 feet down, but maybe in a couple of years it could happen.

Marine life and sonar working together? According to this article, definitely! And it's all in an effort to protect marine life.

Sonar can help marine life, but it can also hurt it. A lot. In this case, the UK's been seeing sperm whales showing up on its shores. There could be a number of reasons why so many beached at once, but one compelling idea is that the active sonar used nearby confused and disoriented the whales.

Even though Marine Scientists and the Navy have both used sonar, they haven't really used sonar together. With the combined knowledge of what ships sound like and what sea life sounds like, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

For all your visual needs in the sonar department: now with 90's-style CGI graphic design. Check it out and you'll notice that the sonar's mounted at the base of the ship. That's because it helps avoid interference from the metal in the ship.

Fetal ultrasounds have been around since the 1950s, but now you can actually get a 3D or 4D (in real time) ultrasound. You should check it out; it's only a little creepy.