RESEARCHERS have created the clearest-ever seafloor maps of the Monterey Canyon.
Located in Monterey Bay, California, the Monterey Canyon is a massive and complex underwater ravine in the Pacific Ocean.
Now, the submarine ravine – which is 292 miles long, 7.5 miles wide, and as deep as 2.5 miles – has been mapped out in amazing detail.
The findings were published on April 6 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.
Researchers used two groundbreaking devices to reveal the underwater canyon in centimeter-scale resolution.
The first device, called the Low-Altitude Survey System (LASS), utilizes laser and sonar technology to produce maps that image objects as small as one centimeter.
“When mounted to a MBARI ROV, the tool sled can articulate so that inclined surfaces, such as canyon walls or hydrothermal chimneys, can be mapped as well as horizontal surfaces,” the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute explains on its website.
The second device scientists used is called the Seafloor Instrument Node (SIN).
This instrument records movements on the seafloor as well as the currents overhead to showcase changes.
Together the devices helped scientists paint a more complete and dynamic picture of the Monterey Canyon’s ever-changing landscape.
What’s more, the maps showcase that the canyon is home to a diverse range of marine life, including coral, whales, and seabirds.
Perhaps more important still, the maps give researchers insight into underwater landslides that transfer large amounts of sediments.
This is important because when this happens, a seafloor environment is rapidly changed.
“Thanks to advanced MBARI technology, we’ve now mapped parts of Monterey Canyon in remarkable detail,” explained Monica Wolfson-Schwehr, previously a postdoctoral fellow at MBARI and lead author of the study.
“Repeated mapping surveys have given us a valuable new perspective to study the processes that sculpt the canyon,” Wolfson-Schwehr added.
The scientist further called the findings “vital” for understanding both life on the ocean floor and underwater landslides.