STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. (March 17, 2009) Navy civilian Cecelia Spiering, a biologist at the Naval Oceanographic Office, takes an aliquot of suspended sediment for grain size analysis. Naval Oceanographic Office geologists analyze the textural, chemical, physical, acoustic and engineering properties of ocean bottom sediment samples and apply the resultant characteristics data to Navy requirements. Because of their ongoing collection and analysis efforts, the laboratory harbors one of the most extensive and respected collections of marine sediments data in the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Public Affairs Specialist Shannon M. Breland/Released)