The world below sea level is little explored. This is perfectly demonstrated by recent seabed surveys, where over 19000 unknown underwater mountains and volcanoes have been discovered using radar satellite data.
We usually learn about underwater volcanoes when they manifest their existence in a spectacular way - through an eruption. Meanwhile, as it turns out, there is a method by means of which we can detect them even before they emerge from the water. And on a massive scale.
A team of oceanographers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in collaboration with scientists from Chungnam National University and the University of Hawaii, discovered over 19000 previously unknown underwater volcanoes or mountains. This work is critical to better understanding the ocean floor, improving modeling of ocean currents and ensuring safer underwater navigation.
The results of the research were published in the journal "Earth and Space Science" (DOI: 10.1029/2022EA002331).
Researchers from these institutions have succeeded in developing a method for mass detection of underwater volcanoes and mountains. But to understand exactly what it is, we must first look at how the ocean floor is shaped and why it is so important to know it thoroughly.
On dry land, what stands out in the landscape are, of course, the mountains. And their counterpart in the form of undersea or seamounts also exists at the bottom of the ocean. They are formed either as a result of tectonic movements or volcanic activity.
However, the existence of seamounts is not completely without influence on human functioning. Considering the fact that so far we have mapped only about 25 percent of the world with sonar. ocean floor, we know very little about where they might be. And this, in turn, can be a problem for submarines, for example. There have already been cases in which, for example, American ships collided with such mountains. This is also a problem for scientists who are unable to accurately predict the directions of water flow in the oceans. Because when sea currents hit such a place, the water carried by them is pushed upwards.
New bottom maps
Experts set themselves a rather difficult task of discovering as many seamounts as possible. For this purpose, they decided to use data collected by radar satellites. Of course, they do not serve this purpose in themselves, but you can use the fact that they measure, for example, the height of the ocean surface, which in turn changes depending on the gravitational pull associated with the topography of the bottom. And in this way it became possible to find as many as 19325 previously unknown seamounts, i.e. potential volcanoes. The discovery extended a previously published catalog of 24643 seamounts to a total of 43454.
In addition to the benefits listed above, discovering so many mountains can also be useful for the mining industry. This is because in such places you can often find significant amounts of rare minerals. However, it will also serve to better map the course of tectonic lines, as well as the geomagnetic field. It will also be important for the study of the underwater ecosystem, because the vicinity of underwater mountains is also a friendly environment for ocean fauna and flora.
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