Researchers today published the most detailed map of the ocean floor ever produced.
Map of the ocean floor.
The map serves as a tool for performing scientific engineering marine geophysical and environmental studies that are required in the development of energy and marine resources.
The latest status of its seabed 2030 project was announced to coincide with world hydrography day.
Published today this is the most detailed map of the ocean floor ever produced using satellite imagery to show ridges and trenches of the earth s underwater surface even for areas which have.
It is the only intergovernmental organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor.
To map some 140 million square miles of sea floor the seabed 2030 project is currently recruiting around 100 ships that will circumscribe the globe for 13 years.
Topographic maps of the sea floor.
Importantly the maps would also ensure a better understanding of climate change since floor features including canyons and underwater volcanoes influence phenomena such as the vertical mixing of ocean water and ocean currents which act as conveyor belts of warm and cold water thus influencing the weather and climate.
Typically finely wrought ocean maps have been the result of extensive sonar.
Continental shelf 300 feet continental slope 300 10 000 feet abyssal plain 10 000 feet abyssal hill 3 000 feet up from the abyssal plain seamount 6 000 feet.
New sea floor map for google earth january 13 2016 in late 2014 we had a look at a map of the ocean floor published by the scripps institution of oceanography university of california san diego.
This graphic shows several ocean floor features on a scale from 0 35 000 feet below sea level.
Detailed depth contours provide the size shape and distribution of underwater features.
This is expensive and time consuming so sonar maps are mostly only made of places where ships spend the most time.