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Google Earth has released new topographical imagery to allow users to see ocean floors in high-resolution from 1-kilometer grids to as small as 100 meters.
To commemorate World Oceans Day on June 8, Google partnered with Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, gathering 20 years of data from 12 institutions and almost 500 ship cruises covering around 3 million miles.
“In spite of the importance of the oceans for life on earth, the landscape beneath the sea is hidden in darkness and poorly mapped,” said oceanographer William Ryan in a press release.
“While we can map the surface of planets from spacecraft in a single mission, to obtain comparable detail of the hidden seascape requires visiting every spot with a ship.”
Virtual viewers can start by clicking on any ocean in Google Earth to visit hydrothermal vents, volcanic ridges, and deep-sea trenches.
Submarine explorers can also visit the Mendocino Ridge on the Juan de Fuca Plate near western North America as part of the 2011 Seafloor Tour.
Or check out the video of the deepest volcanic eruption near Fiji on the Deep Sea Vents Ridge 2000 tour.
These maps aid scientists in understanding how tsunamis spread globally, as well as assessing risks regionally. They also provide more information about volcanic eruptions far below, normally hidden from view.
The Kane Fracture Zone cuts across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The floor of the fracture is over 5 kilometers deep and the mountain peaks are 1.5 kilometers below the surface. (Lamont-Doherty/GMRT)
