In 1999, MBARI had a large section of the continental margin off central California mapped with an EM-300 high-resolution multi-beam bathymetric mapping system. EM-300 data are collected from a surface vessel and are accurate to a few meters. The data allow very detailed renderings of the entire Monterey Canyon system to be generated. These images clearly reveal the significance of the Monterey and other canyons in carving this continental margin and provide insight into the significance of the various processes that occur along the margin. While the surface ship data provide an excellent overview, efforts are now underway to develop ROV and AUV deployed mapping systems. The superior geometry afforded by systems which operate near the bottom offer the promise of being able to achieve resolution on the order of ~10 cm. When achieved, we plan to conduct repeated surveys of various sections of the canyon floor to determine how the floor of the canyon changes shape in response to sediment transport events.
Monterey Canyon Map
For more information on the current Canyon Mapping Projects at MBARI