Bathymetric Mapping

How can ocean floor features be measured and mapped using current acoustical technology? How can ocean floor maps be used in the commercial, military, and/or private sector? 

Ocean floor features are mapped using sonar. Sound is bounced off the ocean floor, the rate at which it comes back shows what the floors look like. Ocean floor maps are used to navigate the ocean so no one hits a ridge or goes over a section where magma might be flowing out.

A map of the ocean floor

Our seafloor was mostly flat but had a ridge on one side. Using remote sensing technology is better than direct observation because it allows you to know the actual size of the features and their depths. Vertical exaggeration is helpful because it allows the features to be exaggerated so it is easier to see them. This activity was valuable to my science knowledge because It helped me to see the advantage of using sonar to map the ocean seafloor. Are there any problems with using sonar to map the ocean floor features? If we have this technology, why haven't we been able to map the whole ocean floor?

Theory of Continental Drift

During the "dance of the continents" activity, I  learned that thousands of years ago, all of earths land was one large land mass with one big ocean. The continent broke apart because of plate tectonics, the belief that earths crust is six large plates which continually move along earths surface. Another factor to the theory of continental drift is the idea of seafloor spreading, which is the theory that there are cracks in the seafloor where magma pours out and then cools, making new crust which slowly pushes away the old crust, enlarging the seafloor.


My picture of Pangea

Scientists share information with each other in order to strengthen their theories. Without the theories of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics, then Wegner's theory of continental drift would not have enough information to back it up. I believe that these theories are real and that there really was one large continent that moved apart, and that in the future our Earth will look much different.

Experimental Design

If I was to design an experiment for studying the mating habits of clams I would make sure to bring a lot of food. Because it takes like a week to get there and a week to get back you would probably stay a week so you need like three weeks worth of food. You would also need diving equiptment such as wet suits, flippers, goggles, and oxygen tanks. I would bring an underwater flashlight because the clams mate at night. I would also bring a camera to take pictures of the mating clams. Id bring little jars to collect samples in. This is what I would bring for my experiment.