THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 24, 1995 TAG: 9510240306
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Scientists using declassified military data have produced a detailed map of the ocean floor that could benefit fishermen, oil and mineral prospectors, and climate researchers.
``This is a day of celebration,'' David T. Sandwell, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said Monday. ``We're having a data feast.''
Sandwell and Walter H.F. Smith of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration developed the highly detailed map using data collected by Navy and European Space Agency satellites.
The map, Smith said, is 30 times better at showing sea-floor detail than earlier studies. The complex data that form the basis of the map are being provided to scientists through the Internet and also are available on a set of compact discs.
This is important in oil and mineral exploration and commercial fishing, and has applications in the study of global climate change, he said.
A newly discovered sea-floor rise in the South Pacific creates a shallow area where sea life tends to congregate, he said. Already fishermen from New Zealand are visiting the area to catch lobster and fish.
The research allows for estimates of the thickness of sediments on the ocean floor - important in searching for gas and oil, Smith said.
He said giant underwater mountain ranges affect currents deep in the oceans. The currents carry large amounts of heat, affecting climates around the world, so climate researchers are feeding the new sea-floor data into their computers.
The map was developed using highly accurate satellite measurements of the sea surface, Sandwell said. Previous ship measurements of the sea floor had gaps the size of Kansas; repeated trips by the satellites provide relatively small detail, he said. Waves are averaged out and tides corrected for, leaving measurements accurate to an inch or so, the scientists said.
Large undersea formations - mountains and valleys - are reflected in small form on the sea surface, the scientists explained.
The Navy data, collected by its GEOSAT satellite, had been kept classified because of their value for submarine navigation and missile launching, but was released to scientists in July. MEMO: A large color poster of the new map is available for $40 from the
Scripps Geological Data Center by calling (619) 534-2752.
Researchers can obtain the sea floor map and data at the Internet
address: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov /mgg/announcements/announce-
predict.html.
KEYWORDS: MAP by CNB