The Marine Studies Section of GSC - Pacific, Sidney has a broad array of up-to-date geological, geophysical, computing and laboratory equipment available:

• Sidescan: Simrad 992, Klein, EG&G and sidescan sonar systems with digital acquisition capability

• Seismic: Uniboom, Huntec DTS and Seistec high-resolution air gun and sleeve gun seismic profiling systems with single and multichannel hydrophone streamers with digital and analogue acquisition systems.

• Bathymetry: Ross 200 kHz, Knudsen dual frequency (50 and 200 kHz), ORE 3.5 kHz echosounders, and hull mounted EM 3000 and EM 1002 multibeam sounder systems.

• Potential fields: marine proton precession magnetometer, gravimeters

• Marine electromagnetic (MEM) sounding system for underway determination of seabed porosity.

• Sampling: various grab samplers as well as piston, gravity and vibro-corers; seafloor photography systems capable to abyssal depths.

• Navigation: GPS, DGPS, LORAN-C and Trisponder navigation systems; Trackpoint underwater positioning system.

As well, the group has access to the research vessels of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans based at the Institute of Ocean Sciences and of the University of Victoria and the Canadian Coast Guard. Equipment at the Geological Survey of Canada - Atlantic is also accessible to the group.