Satellite Mapping of Ocean Floor Discovers 100,000 Seamounts

Scientists, in collaboration with NASA and the French space agency CNES, have made unprecedented progress in mapping the ocean floor of the planet using the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite. Thanks to this technology, the number of known underwater mountains on Earth has increased from 44,000 to 100,000. It may interest you: Rats in space concern NASA, what happened? What is an underwater mountain? An underwater mountain is a …

Satellite Mapping of Ocean Floor Discovers 100,000 Seamounts

Graphic: NASA Earth Observatory For decades, we have more detailed maps of the Moon’s surface than Earth’s ocean floor. Although ships equipped with sonar can capture highly detailed images of the seafloor, only about 25 percent of the ocean has been mapped this way. Scientists have long been working to do better. Now, a NASA-supported research team has taken a major step forward by creating one of the most detailed maps of the seafloor to date,…