Deep-tow multichannel seismic data are used to obtain significantly improved images and physical property estimates of marine sediments within the upper 1 km of the sediment column. The technology that supports this effort is based on a Helmholtz resonator source (220Hz ? 1kHz frequency band, 200 dB // 1 ?Pa @ 1 m source level) that operates at any ocean depth. The source and 48 independent hydrophones are deployed approximately 300 meters above the seafloor. This system has proven to be optimal for studies of marine hydrates as it provides high-resolution data through the hydrate stability zone (HSZ), including the strong seismic signal from the bottom simulating reflector (BSR) that is related to the temperature-pressure driven phase change from solid hydrate to gas and water.