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| Global Seafloor Mapping Project | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Seafloor Mapping Project |
| Type | International scientific initiative |
| Established | 21st century |
| Budget | Multinational funding |
Global Seafloor Mapping Project The Global Seafloor Mapping Project was an international initiative to produce high-resolution bathymetric maps of the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean seafloors, integrating data from research programs led by institutions such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the British Geological Survey, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Geological Survey of India. The project sought to support scientific research on features like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Mariana Trench, the East Pacific Rise, and the Challenger Deep, while informing initiatives by bodies such as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the International Hydrographic Organization.
The project emerged from earlier efforts including the Project FAMOUS investigations of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the exploratory voyages of HMS Challenger (1872) and the mapping ambitions of the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans partnership, and was driven by recommendations from panels convened by the National Science Foundation, the Royal Society, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Primary objectives included producing seamless bathymetry for use by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea tribunals, aiding hazard assessment for events like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and enabling biodiversity assessments linked to programs such as the Census of Marine Life and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Methodologies combined multibeam echosounder surveys employed on research vessels operated by entities like the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, the RRS James Cook, and the RV Investigator with satellite altimetry corrections derived from missions including TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, and CryoSat-2. Autonomous platforms such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles modeled on designs from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and remotely operated vehicles like ROV Jason and Alvin (DSV) were used alongside seismic reflection profiling methodologies promoted by the International Seismic Profiling Programme. Data standards were aligned with metadata frameworks from the Open Geospatial Consortium, the International Hydrographic Organization’s standards, and cataloged using protocols from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the International Council for Science.
Data collection leveraged contributions from national programs including the United States Geological Survey, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, the Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer, and the Korean Institute of Ocean Science & Technology. Coverage priorities focused on under-charted regions such as the South Pacific Gyre, the Sunda Trench, and portions of the Southern Ocean adjacent to Antarctica, integrating legacy datasets from expeditions by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and mapping efforts associated with the International Ocean Discovery Program. The project produced gridded bathymetric datasets combining multibeam swaths, ship-track soundings, and altimeter-derived gravity anomalies used in studies by groups like the European Space Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Analyses revealed previously uncharted features comparable in significance to historical discoveries by Dmitri Mendeleev (continental shelves) and Marie Tharp (seafloor spreading), including detailed morphologies of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, mapping of submarine canyons akin to those off Northeast Greenland National Park, identification of seamount provinces reminiscent of the Hawaii–Emperor seamount chain, and discovery of hydrothermal vent fields comparable to those first described near Galápagos Islands. Results informed tectonic models developed by researchers from institutions such as California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Oxford, and refined assessments of sediment transport processes studied in collaboration with the American Geophysical Union and the European Geosciences Union.
High-resolution maps influenced marine spatial planning initiatives championed by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, guided designation of protected areas under frameworks pursued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and informed fisheries management by agencies like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Improved bathymetry refined tsunami inundation models following protocols endorsed by the World Meteorological Organization and supported implementation of United Nations mandates concerning marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction debated at the United Nations General Assembly.
The project was funded through a mosaic of grants and programs administered by funders such as the National Science Foundation, the European Commission, national ministries represented in the Group of Seven, and charitable foundations comparable to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Collaborative frameworks involved data-sharing agreements negotiated among entities including the International Hydrographic Organization, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the International Seabed Authority, and national agencies from Canada, Australia, Japan, India, Brazil, and member states of the European Union.
Challenges included gaps in coverage within exclusive economic zones like those of small island states in the Pacific Islands Forum, technical limits of legacy multibeam systems, data heterogeneity spanning contributors such as Russian Academy of Sciences expeditions, and legal complexities tied to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea delimitation cases. Future directions emphasize integration with ongoing satellite missions from National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the European Space Agency, expansion of autonomous mapping via platforms developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and industry partners like Kongsberg Gruppen, and coordination with initiatives such as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Category:Oceanography Category:Cartography Category:Geophysics