Sounding the Sea; A Study in Bathymetric Mapping

1.) How can ocean floor features be measured and mapped using current acoustical technology? How can ocean floor maps be used in the commercial, military, and/or private sector?
To map the ocean floors you use the Bathymetric Mapping technique as well as the sonar stick. These two types of equipment help make it possible to map the floor and observe it. As for the commercial, military, and/or private sector they use a sonar stick that shoots sound vibrations down into the ocean to measure the ocean floor.
2.) A flat abyssal plain is when plate tectonics move and sediments fall to the ocean floor making it smooth and flat: ( http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070213213211AAVLLJf )
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https://ishtarc.wikispaces.com/file/view/AbyssalPlain.jpg/116248191/384x231/AbyssalPlain.jpg

An underwater seamount or guyot is a flat volcano that is isolated on the ocean floor. It has a flat top that raises from the ground. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyot)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Bear_Seamount_guyot.jpg)
A submarine canyon on the continental shelf is like a canyon under water. It goes onto the continental shelf and sometimes even leads into rivers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_canyon)

(http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Projects/KA620/previews/20117924.JPG)
3.)
1.)Based on your seafloor model provide a description of the topography of your surveyed area.
Based on the seafloor model we made, it was often flat and consisted around the same depth throughout the box. Some spots were very low, but the majority of the box was consistent and didn't have much holes or mountains.
2.) What are the advantages of using remote sensing technology for your survey instead of direct observation?
We are able to make a more specific observation of how deep the ocean is with the sonar stick. Because with just observation from our eyes can give us the wrong impression of how deep the ocean is, therefore it is very important to use tools such as the sonar stick to give us correct measurements.
3.)What is the advantage of using vertical exaggeration in constructing your profiles of the seafloor?
It gave us more of the understanding of the sea floor. It allowed us to see how the floor blends into things such as a flat abyssal plain and other underwater floor features.
4.) Write two new research questions based on what you have learned from this activity:
           1.) What is the main cause of the ocean floor features?
           2.) If plate tectonics didn't exist, would continents still move?
5.) What was the value and importance of this activity to your study of science?
It was very important to learn why certain underwater features exist and how they form. It's also nice to know how scientists know the exact measurements for how deep the ocean is for certain spots. It's interesting to know that they use sound to help measure that.