Map That Habitat
A color-coded, shaded-relief bathymetry map of offshore San Diego, CA.Copyright U.S. Geological Survey http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/pacmaps/sd-bathy.html
Historically, seafloor mapping occurred with a simple data collection method: soundings. Soundings are taken by dropping a weight with a pre-measured rope off the side of a boat and noting the measurement on the rope when the weight hits the bottom. In this activity, student teams replicate the creation of seafloor bathymetry by taking a simplified form of soundings of an unseen seafloor model inside a shoebox and translating their collected data into a visualization of the topography, enabling them to better understand and appreciate modern remote sensing.
In this introduction to seafloor topography, students experience how the ocean floor used to be mapped prior to recent engineering advances in remote sensing and underwater vehicles. Students learn how to take sounding measurements as well as the difficulties that arise from this process. This activity leads into a discussion of the current technologies used in measuring depth and how these technologies have improved over time.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the purpose and reasons for taking blind depth measurements (soundings and remote sensing).
- Describe the concept of remote sensing.
- Analyze and interpret depth data into a description of 3D topography.
- Draw final conclusions regarding habitat mapping and the collection of spatial data.