Mapping Ocean Floor Mysteries, NASA’s SWOT Satellite Unveils Earth’s Hidden Terrain Beneath the Waves | NASA

The surfaces of the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus are more thoroughly mapped than the ocean floor, which comprises 71% of the Earth’s surface regions. Only 25% of the seafloor has been surveyed by ship-based sonar instruments, forcing researchers to rely primarily on satellite data and other technologies to penetrate the depths.

Now, NASA and the French space agency CNES‘s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite is providing researchers with capabilities to create the most accurate ocean maps yet, improving navigation and knowledge of aquatic ecosystems.

The Importance of Underwater Maps

A University of California San Diego team has helped transform SWOT data into the most complete seafloor map ever created. Underwater navigation and laying communication cables are two essential activities in our increasingly globalized world that can benefit from improved map accuracy.

“Seafloor mapping is key in both established and emerging economic opportunities, including rare-mineral seabed mining, optimizing shipping routes, hazard detection, and seabed warfare operations,” said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, head of physical oceanography programs at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Beyond aiding human activities, the mapping will also illuminate the ocean for natural scientists, identifying underwater mountains called seamounts and the smaller…more