Answer the following questions using your survival skills and the internet.
- Explain what a bathymetric map is. In your explanation, describe how it differs from a topographic map.
- What’s the average depth of the oceans?
- Where is the deepest spot in the ocean? How deep is it?
- What is the name of the deepest spot in the ocean?
- There are a lot of features in the bottom of the sea. Navigate to http://www.purposegames.com/game/ocean-basin-quiz and start the Ocean Basin activity. Take a screenshot of your results.
Bathymetric Maps
Bathymetry is the measurements of water depths. One way to visualize the seafloor is by using a contour map. Contours are lines drawn connecting points of equal depth. It’s like “connect the dots” but with a twist. The lines are called isobaths, a line on a map that connects all points having the same depth below sea-level. Watch the first 6 minutes of this video, How to Draw Contours http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6FbV0LiA_k. The twist is that the depths for the isobaths may not be marked on the map; you’ll have to make an educated guess.
- Looks like the boat captain didn’t finish drawing this bathymetric map. He managed to draw the 500-foot isobar. Draw the 485, 490, 495, 505, and 510 feet isobars.Figure 1. Bathymetric map with the 500-ft contour line.
- This map contains a bunch of soundings. Complete this contour map using a contour interval of 10 feet starting at 80ft, 90ft, … to 130 ft. For now, ignore the line connecting points A and B.Figure 2. Soundings map with points A and B.
- Once you have drawn all the isobars, take the edge of a sheet of paper, and line it up with the gray dotted line. Mark the letters A and B on your paper. For every spot an isobar touches your paper, make a tick mark and write down the depth.Figure 3. A pirate constructing a contour profile map of the ocean floor.
- Take the sheet of paper, line it up with the graph paper and plot the depths on the graph below.Figure 4. A blank contour profile map.
How to Submit Your Task
Answer the four questions on a word processing document. Once you have finished the assigned task, submit including a screen shot of your Ocean Basin activity, and Figure 1, Figure 2, and Figure 4.
