This may come as a shock that the depth of the Earth’s oceans is even more alien to scientists. month240,000 miles away space.
But that’s true: with cameras and sensors, The spaceship has mapped moon scenery features For decades. Meanwhile, the ocean floor charts presented their own challenging challenges. The intense water pressure deep in the deep by can crush most equipment, and the seabed is hidden from sight over miles of water, absorbing light and making it opaque. This makes direct observation particularly difficult.
New efforts using data from a NASA-LED satellites help to change it and provide one of the most detailed maps of the ocean bottom of the world ever created. The SWOT satellite stands for surface water and ocean topography, and is a collaboration between NASA and its French counterpart, the Center National National.
“This satellite is a huge jump in its ability to map the seafloor,” said David Sandwell, geophysicist at Scripps Ostitution of Oceanography. statement.
Scientists have found a huge beach on Mars from the ocean that they probably went to for a long time
This global map of the seafloor is based on data from NASA’s SWOT satellite.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory
It was released in December 2022, The satellite was actually built to measure the height of the water Beyond the planet’s oceans, lakes and rivers. Although not designed for subsea mapping, scientists have discovered that its advanced technology can help to estimate the size and shape of the structure underwater more accurately.
Scientists in many fields say it’s important to know what’s out there. The map helps the ship move around safety hazards and engineers lay the underwater communication cables. They also play a role in studying deep sea flows, tides, and movements Earth’s Structural Platea massive puzzle fragment of the Earth’s crust shifting over millions of years.
Experts have worked on mapping the seabed in traditional ways and sending ships to the surface Sonar Technology – Sound waves bouncing from the bottom – Measure the depth. However, this process moved at a snail-paced pace. The ship can only cover small areas at a time, and most of the ocean is not charted.
Masculine light speed
That slow progress means that scientists may not achieve their goals that they have Complete seabed map by 2030.
Satellites cluster in low-Earth orbits, but most of them Not so good resolution As sonar. However, the new data from SWOT is about twice as detailed as the old satellite map, making it easy to see features that were previously unknown. new SWOT-based undersea map Published in the journal Science In December.
NASA has created animations of some of the new information revealed in SWOT data, including the regions of Mexico and South America. Antarctic Peninsula. The purple area highlights the lower area around the rising in the water, shown in green.
A new type of radar technology in satellites will allow us to detect less than half of what was previously mapped, potentially increasing the number of known Captain From 44,000 to 100,000. These submerged mountains can affect ocean currents and create nutrient-rich areas that attract marine life.
“There will be no ship-based mapping,” 2030 said. “But SWOT helps us fill it up.”
Here’s how technology works: The satellite detects small changes in the height of the water. The ocean is uneven, not glassy sheets from all over the world. Submerged mountains and other geological features have more mass than their surroundings. These small variations can be measured with SWOT instruments. The satellites enter orbit every 21 days, cleaning more than 90% of the planet.
SWOT satellites clean more than 90% of the planet as they enter orbit every 21 days.
Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/CNES/THALES ALENIA Space Illustration
It appears that SWOT has collected more detailed data than 30 years’ worth of older satellite missions in just one year. Science paper. The new map has a resolution of approximately 5 miles. In other words, scientists are detecting what has escaped them in the past.
Clarity allowed scientists to detect underwater ridges known as “Abyssal Hills.” They are Most common The characteristics of the Earth’s topography cover about 70% of the seabed. That water covers about 70% of the planet. They are smaller than ships, so past satellites have a hard time finding them.
Enhanced maps can lead to new geological discoveries, such as finding the location of active underwater volcanoes and previously unknown fault lines. There may even be rediscovering lost ancient lands.
And there’s something in it Astrobiologisttoo. Many researchers have assumed that the chemistry needed to begin life on this planet began on a central ocean ridge where structural plates were torn apart. This activity can create hydrothermal vents, an important environment for mineral-rich superheated water. SWOT data could help scientists identify new underwater hot springs for future research.
