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Hydrographic surveyors (as people who map the ocean floor are called) typically utilize sonar systems to measure water depths. The simplest form is a single beam echosounder mounted on the underside of a boat floating on the surface. Like a flashlight that illuminates a small area in the direction it is pointed, a single beam sonar is pointed down and ensonifies a small area on the seafloor beneath it. The echosounder emits a pulse of acoustic energy into the water. This energy will travel down through the water; when it hits the seafloor (or anything else in the water column) some of the energy will be reflected back towards the echosounder. The speed of sound in water varies based on temperature, salinity and pressure, but is usually in the neighborhood of 1500 meters per second. By measuring the amount of time it takes for the acoustic energy to make its round-trip journey, and multiplying it by the speed of sound in water, we are able to calculate the depth.

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12y ago

They pay the divers to go to the end of the ocean and measure the ocean floor depth

before divers dive they take a long endless string keep it up the surface then take it al the way down and cut to where it ends so that when they are finished they measure

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Hess started it during WWII and continued afterward.

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Q: How did scientists first map the ocean floor depth?
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How do scientists measure the depth of the ocean?

Scientists use sound waves to measure the depth of the ocean through a method called sonar. By sending sound pulses from a ship to the ocean floor and measuring the time it takes for the sound waves to bounce back, scientists can calculate the depth of the ocean at that location.


How do scientists map features of the ocean floor using sonar?

Scientists use sonar to map the ocean floor by sending sound waves from a ship to the ocean floor. These sound waves bounce back and are picked up by a receiver on the ship, providing information about the depth and texture of the ocean floor. By analyzing the time it takes for the sound waves to return, scientists can create detailed maps of the underwater terrain.


What technology do scienctist use to measure ocean depth?

Scientists use echo sounders or sonar technology to measure ocean depth. These tools work by sending sound waves down into the water and measuring how long it takes for the sound to bounce back, allowing scientists to calculate the depth of the ocean floor.


Which method is not a technique currently used by ocean scientists to map the topography of the ocean floor?

Satellite imagery is not typically used by ocean scientists to map the topography of the ocean floor, as it cannot penetrate the water to provide detailed depth information. Instead, methods such as multibeam sonar and lidar are commonly used to create detailed maps of the ocean floor.


How can scientists map the ocean floor using the satellite Geosat?

Scientists can map the ocean floor using the satellite Geosat by measuring the height of the ocean surface, which is affected by the gravitational pull of underwater features. By comparing these measurements with known gravitational models, scientists can infer the shape and depth of the ocean floor. This method, called satellite altimetry, allows for the creation of detailed maps of the seafloor topography.


How do scientists use sound to figure out the depth of the ocean?

They use an Echo Sounder. Many pulses of sound per second are sent to the ocean floor & the time it takes to rebound is measured and therefore the depth is calculated.


How do scientists use sound out to figure out the depth of the ocean?

They use an Echo Sounder. Many pulses of sound per second are sent to the ocean floor & the time it takes to rebound is measured and therefore the depth is calculated.


What is depth as it is relating to the ocean?

Depth is a measure of distance between the surface and the ocean floor.


Where is ocean floor at the greatest water depth?

the middle, between the ocean


What is the general depth of an ocean trench compared to the ocean floor?

True


What do scientists use to measure ocean depth?

SONAR


Oceanographers can use sonar to calculate the depth of the ocean floor because?

sound waves can penetrate the ocean floor.