Watch this ultra-detailed animation of the seafloor
The world has a more detailed map of the seafloor than ever before thanks to observations taken from space. NASA published a video this week showing a remarkably clear picture of the bottom of the ocean made possible thanks to new satellite technology.
The face of the moon has been more thoroughly mapped than the depths of Earth’s oceans. But after NASA and French space agency CNES launched the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite in 2022, we’re starting to get a clearer look at what lies in the deep. In December, researchers published a revelatory seafloor map in the journal Science using one year of SWOT data.
The face of the moon has been more thoroughly mapped than the depths of Earth’s oceans
The satellite helps fill in vast gaps in data collected by ship, and offers a higher resolution picture than previous satellites have been able to provide. On a practical level, the maps can help submarines navigate more safely through previously mysterious ocean terrains. They can also inform the precarious work of laying down and repairing underwater telecommunication cables that keep people connected across our planet.
NASA’s new video is also just fun to …