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July 31, 2020: Seamount Bathymetry

Multibeam bathymetry of Pao Pao Seamount (right) and an unnamed guyot (left) shows one example of nearby seamounts with very different geomorphology. Pao Pao Seamount comes to a very sharp peak at around 300 meters and shows steep flanks while the unnamed feature has a distinct flat top. Biological communities we find on these features may differ greatly at similar depth intervals despite being only 25 kilometers apart from each other. These data were collected using the sonars on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer during transit from Swains Island to Pao Pao Seamount in the Tokelau Seamount Chain within the waters of New Zealand's Territory of Tokelau. The second dive of the Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific Marine Protected Areas expedition took place on this seamount and the collected data were instrumental in planning the dive.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific MPAs. Download larger version (jpg, 792 KB).

Multibeam bathymetry of Pao Pao Seamount (right) and an unnamed guyot (left) shows one example of nearby seamounts with very different geomorphology. Pao Pao Seamount comes to a very sharp peak at around 300 meters (984 feet) and shows steep flanks while the unnamed feature has a distinct flat top. Biological communities we find on these features may differ greatly at similar depth intervals despite being only 25 kilometers (16 miles) apart from each other.

These data were collected using the sonars on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer during transit from Swains Island to Pao Pao Seamount in the Tokelau Seamount Chain within the waters of New Zealand's Territory of Tokelau. The second dive of the Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific Marine Protected Areas expedition took place on this seamount and the collected data were instrumental in planning the dive.

From: Filling in Gaps Along the Way.