The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'. Studying the Seafloor Scuba divers can dive only to about 40 meters beneath the surface, and they cannot stay at that depth for very long. Although this is a good way to research the ocean floor near a coast where the water is relatively shallow, researching most of the ocean floor requires accessing much greater depths. There are several other ways of studying the seafloor. For example, echo sounders and lasers can... Show more The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'. Studying the Seafloor Scuba divers can dive only to about 40 meters beneath the surface, and they cannot stay at that depth for very long. Although this is a good way to research the ocean floor near a coast where the water is relatively shallow, researching most of the ocean floor requires accessing much greater depths. There are several other ways of studying the seafloor. For example, echo sounders and lasers can reveal the depth of the ocean and provide data to create bathymetric maps showing the three-dimensional shape of the seafloor. Samples of seawater from different depths in the water column can be collected remotely. To do this, bottles are placed along a cable at regular depths and closed as a weight is dropped down the cable. The water trapped in the bottles can be analyzed later in a laboratory. Rock and sediment samples from the seafloor can be collected remotely with dredges or other equipment. A dredge is a giant rectangular bucket that is dragged along behind a ship to collect loose rocks from the seafloor. Gravity corers are metal tubes that fall to the seafloor and slice into the sediments to collect samples. The research vessel, the Joides Resolution, drills deep into the seafloor to collect samples of sediment and oceanic crust. Scientists analyze the samples for chemistry and paleomagnetism. Another way samples of seawater and rocks can be collected is directly by scientists in a submersible. A submersible is a special underwater vehicle that can travel deep below the ocean surface to collect samples, make measurements, take photographs, or allow scientists to make direct observations. The submersible named Alvin is an HOV, or human-operated vehicle. Alvin can dive up to 4500 meters beneath the surface and has made more than 4000 dives since 1964. Some other submersibles can dive even deeper than Alvin. To avoid the expense, dangers, and limitations of human deep-sea missions, remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, can be used. ROVs are small vehicles carrying cameras and scientific instruments that scientists can operate remotely with sophisticated electronic operating systems. ROVs were used to study the famous sunken ship the Titanic, which would have been far too dangerous for a human-operated vehicle to enter. Show less
The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'.
Studying the Seafloor Scuba divers can dive only to about 40 meters beneath the surface, and they cannot stay at that depth for very long. Although this is a good way to research the ocean floor near a coast where the water is relatively shallow, researching most of the ocean floor requires accessing much greater depths. There are several other ways of studying the seafloor. For example, echo sounders and lasers can reveal the depth of the ocean and provide data to create bathymetric maps showing the three-dimensional shape of the seafloor. Samples of seawater from different depths in the water column can be collected remotely. To do this, bottles are placed along a cable at regular depths and closed as a weight is dropped down the cable. The water trapped in the bottles can be analyzed later in a laboratory. Rock and sediment samples from the seafloor can be collected remotely with dredges or other equipment. A dredge is a giant rectangular bucket that is dragged along behind a ship to collect loose rocks from the seafloor. Gravity corers are metal tubes that fall to the seafloor and slice into the sediments to collect samples. The research vessel, the Joides Resolution, drills deep into the seafloor to collect samples of sediment and oceanic crust. Scientists analyze the samples for chemistry and paleomagnetism. Another way samples of seawater and rocks can be collected is directly by scientists in a submersible. A submersible is a special underwater vehicle that can travel deep below the ocean surface to collect samples, make measurements, take photographs, or allow scientists to make direct observations. The submersible named Alvin is an HOV, or human-operated vehicle. Alvin can dive up to 4500 meters beneath the surface and has made more than 4000 dives since 1964. Some other submersibles can dive even deeper than Alvin. To avoid the expense, dangers, and limitations of human deep-sea missions, remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, can be used. ROVs are small vehicles carrying cameras and scientific instruments that scientists can operate remotely with sophisticated electronic operating systems. ROVs were used to study the famous sunken ship the Titanic, which would have been far too dangerous for a human-operated vehicle to enter.
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