About this book:

This book provides a comprehensive guide to seafloor mapping and marine geophysics, bridging the gap between raw acoustic data and geological interpretation. It details the fundamental physics of sound in water and the technical specifications of essential instrumentation, including multibeam echosounders, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom profilers. The text emphasizes that high-quality maps depend on rigorous survey design, precise positioning through GNSS and inertial motion sensors, and a deep understanding of environmental variables such as sound speed and tidal datums.

The middle chapters focus on the "volumetric" view of the seafloor through deeper geophysical methods, including marine seismic reflection, refraction, and potential field surveys like magnetics and gravity. These techniques allow researchers to move beyond surface topography to image the Earth's crustal architecture and sedimentary history. The book also covers the logistical shift toward autonomous platforms, such as AUVs and USVs, which offer high-resolution coverage and increased efficiency in challenging or remote environments.

Processing and interpretation form the core of the book’s practical application, outlining workflows for data cleaning, gridding, and uncertainty quantification. By connecting mapped patterns to physical processes, the text explores the geomorphology of submarine canyons, the dynamics of tectonic margins, and the identification of seafloor hazards like landslides. Case studies illustrate how integrated geophysical datasets are used in real-world resource management, infrastructure planning for cables and pipelines, and habitat conservation.

The final section looks toward the future of the discipline, highlighting the transformative role of machine learning in automating classification and feature extraction. It introduces the concept of 4D mapping—monitoring seafloor changes over time—and the power of sensor fusion to resolve complex environmental ambiguities. The book concludes by stressing the importance of robust data management and international standards to ensure that seafloor records remain defensible, reproducible, and accessible for future generations.