How does sonar technology map the unseen ocean?
We can now create 3D maps of the ocean floor from the surface using sound waves that bounce off the seabed.
The answer
Sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) works by emitting sound pulses and measuring the time it takes for echoes to return from the ocean floor or objects in the water. Multibeam sonar systems can map wide swaths of seafloor in a single pass, creating detailed three-dimensional bathymetric maps. Modern systems achieve resolution down to 1 meter at full ocean depth. Side-scan sonar provides photographic-quality images of the seafloor surface. The Seabed 2030 project aims to map the entire ocean floor by 2030, but as of 2025, only about 25% has been mapped to modern standards. Sonar has also raised environmental concerns because high-intensity military sonar has been linked to mass strandings of beaked whales.
Source: NOAA Ocean Exploration
- sonar
- ocean mapping
- bathymetry
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