OTEC 6000 - Applied Oceanography

01. Hydrography and bathymetry

Dr. Sean Mullan | Instructor
School of Ocean Technology | Marine Institute
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Sean.Mullan@mi.mun.ca
OTEC 6000 - Applied Oceanography
Course Description
Examine technology’s application in oceanographic activities like scientific exploration,
hydrography, and ocean observation. Learners will obtain a basic understanding of both
the physical ocean environment and nautical science. Marine acoustic, geophysical and
operational technologies are also addressed. Continual emphasis is placed on safety and
responsibility in marine environments.​

Course Aims
• Appreciate the role of technology in oceanographic and hydrographic operations.
• Explain oceanographic processes like circulation, currents, waves, tides, and water levels.
• Understand the marine scientific use of acoustics, geophysics, and various instruments/sensors.
• Relate nautical science principles to safe marine operations and navigation.

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OTEC 6000 - Applied Oceanography
Evaluation
Participants shall be evaluated on the following components:

Component Value (%)

Graphical Abstracts (6) 30
Tidal Analysis Assignment 10
Midterm Exam 30
Final Exam 30
Total 100

NOTE: The minimum pass mark for this course is 65%.

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This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.
OTEC 6000 Applied Oceanography

01. Hydrography
and
bathymetry

1775 Chart of Newfoundland

"A General Chart of the Island of Newfoundland

with the rocks and soundings… By James Cook
and Michael Lane Surveyors".
Seamen handling the steam winch
aboard HMS Challenger (1870s).

The winch was used to lower a weight

on the end of a line to the seabed to
find the ocean depth.
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1925: German Meteor expedition began crisscrossing the South Atlantic for 2 years.

The Meteor's sonar

surveys established that
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is
continuous
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Echo-sounders bounce sound off the seabed
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Mid to late 20th century

Marie Tharp (1920-2006) was an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer who, in partnership with Bruce
Heezen, created the first scientific “landscape” map of the Atlantic Ocean floor.

Tharp's work revealed the detailed topography of the ocean basins. Her findings were instrumental to the Theory of Plate
 1977
World Ocean Floor Map

Marie and Bruce were able to create this first complete physiographic map of the world’s ocean floor due to depth
measurements collected by United States Navy submarines.

Bruce passed away in 1977 on a mapping expedition,

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and never witnessed the publication of their monumental endeavor.
The Lost Worlds of Planet Earth
Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey: Season 1: Episode 9
Multibeam sonar systems combine many echo-sounders

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Why map the ocean?
Canada's national marine protected
areas http://maps.canadiangeographic.
ca/marine-protected-areas/
 Equinor, 2020

Marine surveys are essential for both renewable

and non-renewable offshore energy projects
 Can we develop seabed mining
AND protect marine
biodiversity?

Nautilus Minerals (Vancouver, BC)

Graduate Programs in Applied Ocean Technology (Ocean Mapping)

How will we map the

ocean?
How will we monitor the ocean?
 SEABED 2030
Nippon Foundation -
GEBCO
Vision:
100% of the World Ocean floor mapped by 2030

Mission:
Produce the definitive map of the World Ocean floor by 2030 to empower the world to
make policy decisions, use the ocean sustainably, and undertake scientific research
based on detailed bathymetric information of the Earth’s seabed.
Mars lacks an envelope of water.

0.25-6 m resolution planetary elevation maps

(space probe cameras).

The topography of Mars reveals large,

ancient valley networks and outflow channels.

Evidence of past liquid water?

Earth’s satellite bathymetry has an average resolution of ~8 km.

~20% of the seafloor has been mapped at 1000 m resolution or better (2021).
A single survey ship would take ~350 years to adequately map most seabed deeper than 200 m.

It would take another 620 years to map the shallower areas.

Seabed 2030 bathymetry grids will vary in resolution by depth zones.

Across the deepest regions of the ocean (6-11 km) = 800 m

resolution Seas shallower than 1.5 km = 100 m resolution

IHO multibeam bathymetry holdings
 Highways of North America

What are we
missing?
 Regional Approach

Coordinate to avoid
redundant effort.

SEABED 2030
Map: the extent of the Seabed 2030
regions and various International
Nippon Foundation - GEBCO Bathymetric Chart (IBC) areas.
 Building an international repository for all ocean bathymetric
data.
Where is this?
Gap analysis
single- & multi-beam sonar data
Purple areas represent 100 m pixels that
contain 3 or more soundings.

Pink areas represent 100 m grid nodes

that contain 1-2 soundings.
Crowdsourced bathymetry
Depth measurements from vessels
in routine maritime operation.

Standard navigation instruments.

Lower quality data.

Still great scientific, commercial

and research value.

No/low cost to the public sector!

GEBCO 2021
Global coverage = 20%

Resolution increased from

~1 km to ~400 m!
New Data Sources
There are many more existing data
sources that have not yet been
contributed
GEBCO 2019
“As for me, I am tormented with an
everlasting itch for things remote.

I love to sail forbidden seas.”

-Herman Melville, Moby-Dick