Seafloor Mapping In Partnership with Colleen Peters By: Ashley Landis

What is Seafloor Mapping? Seafloor mapping is a process in which scientists figure out formations and depths on the ocean floor using a specific method and then create a visual representation. The original method included using lines with weights attached to figure out depth, but now most scientists use a sonar (the use of underwater sound projectors) to create the maps more accurately. There are two sonars that scientists use: multibeam and side scan. Multibeam measures the depth of the seafloor by measuring the time it takes for sound to travel from the boat to the seafloor and back, using an echo. The side scan sonar creates an image of the seafloor by measuring the strength of the return echo. This sonar can find areas that have rocks, sand, dark, or light water just through the “loudness” of the return echoes. Multibeam Sonar Side Scan Sonar

National Geographic and Seafloor Mapping This sound clip is directly from the National Geographic website, directly explaining all of the new ways seafloor mapping is being done around the world, how it is done, and its importance.

Purposes of Seafloor Mapping Seafloor mapping helps scientists know how Earth works and the giant underwater system it contains. Questions like how does continental drift work, how does the ocean floor form, and why do deep currents flow the direction they do, can all be successfully answered with the information gained from seafloor mapping. Also, with a more updated and accurate map of the ocean floor, scientists can find underwater landforms such as hydrothermal vents and volcanoes, and then research how these formations affect the animals and environment around them. The information seafloor mapping provides to the world aids many jobs and businesses in working efficiently and safely. Hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos Islands

Bathymetric Charts Seafloor mapping allows scientists to create bathymetric charts. A bathymetric chart serves the same purpose as a topographic map, but instead of being on land it maps places underwater. These charts use information from seafloor mapping to represent the different depths underwater using colors and a corresponding key. Bathymetric charts are useful because they are a more visual and understandable way to convey information that may be difficult to understand elsewhere. Bathymetric Chart of Loihi Seamount

Google Earth Application Uses Sea Floor Mapping This video is just one example of how seafloor mapping is used in modern programs. This program, Google Earth, is a very commonly used software that allows the user to explore the Earth through a screen in their very own living room. This video explains the new underwater details that the creators of Google Earth were recently able to include because of the information received about seafloor mapping. This is just one way how seafloor mapping can be subliminally put into a program and help many people have a further understanding of just how important knowledge of our seafloor is.

Oregon State University in Relation to Seafloor Mapping This project’s purpose is to gain knowledge of the effects of underwater volcanic and hydrothermal activity on the ocean. This project requires continuous monitoring of the spreading centers in the oceans to detect the chemical, physical, and geological effects of the tectonic activity. Without the maps of the seafloor that scientists are continuously creating, this project could not successfully function. If you would like to learn more about this project, feel free to click the link below: processes-0

Conclusion Seafloor mapping is a very useful way of collecting information. Through different processes, scientists can find the many depths in the ocean, the terrain of the seafloor, the amount of light in the water, and landforms of all sizes. These details and many more can be found successfully with two types of sonars: multibeam and side scan. After gathering information by the numbers, some scientists then create a chart showing the different depths underwater. These charts are called bathymetric charts. Also, many people may create a variety of pictures of the seafloor using that original information to be understood in their own way of learning, like Google Earth. With all of the different programs that include seafloor mapping, a wider range of people have a higher chance of realizing how much effort scientists put into this specialized mapping and just how important it is in this world.

Bibliography Sources: Pictures : Sound Clip: