6 days ago · Underwater landforms. Beneath the smooth ocean surface extends an underwater landscape as complex as anything you might find on land. While the ocean has an average depth of 2.3 miles, the shape and depth of the seafloor is complex.

Seabed topography (ocean topography or marine topography) refers to the shape of the land when it interfaces with the ocean. These shapes are obvious along coastlines, but they occur also in significant ways underwater.

Jul 20, 2022 · Only slightly more than 23% of the seafloor has been mapped in great detail, and even less has been explored with underwater cameras or submersibles. Mapping the seafloor is the first step in exploring the unknown depths of our global ocean.

NCEI is the official distribution point for NOS bathymetric maps, bathymetric/fishing maps, regional maps, geophysical maps, and preliminary maps. Topographic maps of the sea floor. Detailed depth contours provide the size, shape and distribution of underwater features.

The seabed, otherwise known as the ocean floor, seafloor, ocean floor, or ocean bottom, describes the bottom of the ocean. Regardless of the depth, consistency, and geography, all floors of the ocean are known as the seabed.

Mar 19, 2025 · Underwater mountains called seamounts and other ocean floor features like their smaller cousins, abyssal hills, influence the movement of heat and nutrients in the deep sea and can attract life. The effects of these physical features can even be felt at the surface by the influence they exert on ecosystems that human communities depend on.

Dec 12, 2024 · A newly-deployed satellite has created the most-detailed map yet of the ocean floor, finding hundreds of hills and underwater volcanoes that were previously missed.

Beyond the ocean floor. Ocean mapping extends beyond documenting Earth's underwater surface areas. Explore handy maps and apps that measure ocean health and temperature, sea level trends, and more.

Apr 27, 2022 · Coastal and marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. These underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis.

Scientific ocean drilling has yielded numerous significant discovers, such as: Evidence of seafloor spreading, validating the theory of plate tectonics and continental drift. Critical insights into the role of fluid flow within the ocean crust, from mid-ocean ridges to deep-sea trenches.