Oceanographers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography worked with researchers from Chungnam National University and the University of Hawaii to map 19,000 previously unknown seamounts around the world using radar satellite data, Phys.org tells us in a report.
The study, published in the journal Earth and Space Science, describes how the team measured seawater mounding and identified undersea volcanoes using radar satellite data.
Uncovering Thousands of Underwater Volcanoes
According to the National Ocean Service, the ocean's average depth is approximately 3,688 meters (12,100 feet). The Challenger Deep is the ocean's deepest known point. This trench stretches for hundreds of kilometers southwest of the US territory of Guam.
Given the ocean's staggering depths, it is not surprising that new discoveries of underwater volcanoes continue to emerge.
Additionally, the ocean floor has a wide variety of terrain, including seamounts, similar to mountains on land. Seamounts can form due to tectonic plate collisions or underwater volcanic eruptions.
Because only a quarter of the ocean floor has been mapped, there are concerns about the location of unknown seamounts.
In the past, two US submarines collided with seamounts, highlighting the dangers to crew and vehicles. In November 2021, NPR reported that an undersea collision with an unknown seamount injured 11 US nuclear-powered submarine crew members.
Furthermore, the lack of seamount location data limits oceanographers' ability to create ocean water flow models.
Finding and Mapping Seamounts
The team set out to find and map as many seamounts as possible to address these concerns. They measured sea surface altitude changes caused by gravitational pull using radar satellite data, a phenomenon known as sea mounding. This method resulted in the discovery of 19,000 previously undiscovered seamounts.
With their research, the team found that seamounts have a base-to-height ratio that is linearly related to their height, which means that their shapes are scale invariant. They used a mathematical model called a Gaussian function to calculate this characteristic shape and found that it can be used to accurately estimate the height of small seamounts.
The researchers say that there are several reasons why mapping the ocean floor is essential. Seamounts contain large amounts of rare-earth minerals, making them an attractive target for sea-floor mining efforts.
Mapping the ocean floor also helps geologists map tectonic plates and the planet's geomagnetic field. Seamounts also serve as a home for a wide variety of marine life. However, the most important reason for mapping ocean currents around seamounts is their impact on deep-sea ocean flow.
When ocean currents interact with seamounts, they are pushed upward, mixing with colder water. Mapping these currents is becoming increasingly important as the oceans absorb more heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and freshwater melts, which contribute to ongoing climate change.
The discovery of 19,000 new seamounts is an important step toward understanding their impact on oceanic circulation.
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