Scientists Map The Ocean Floor In Detail And Discover Nearly 100,000 Submerged Seamounts.
Maps of the lunar surface are better than those of the Earth’s ocean floor, but this situation is changing thanks to high-resolution data collected in space by satellites.
Researchers have been working for decades to change this situation. As part of this ongoing effort, a NASA-funded team recently published one of the most detailed maps of the ocean floor to date, using data from the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite.
https://farmingdale-observer.com/2025/04/08/scientists-map-the-ocean-fl…
Accurate maps of the seabed are essential for various maritime activities, such as navigation and the laying of underwater communications cables. They are also important for a better understanding of deep-sea currents and tides, which affect life at depth, as well as geological processes such as plate tectonics. Seamounts and other seafloor formations, such as smaller abyssal hills, influence the movement of heatand nutrients in deep waters and can attract life.
Ships equipped with sonar can make direct and incredibly detailed measurements of the seabed. However, to date, only around 25% of the seabed has been studied in this way. To obtain an overall picture of the seabed, researchers have relied on satellite data.