Bathymetry

Bathymetry is the measurement of the depth of water in oceans, rivers, or lakes.

Bathymetric maps look a lot like topographic maps, which use lines to show the
shape and elevation of land features.

Bathymetric surveys allow us to measure the depth of a water

body as well as map the underwater features of a water
body. Multiple methods can be used for bathymetric surveys
including multi-beam and single-beam surveys, ADCPs, sub-
bottom profilers, and the Ecomapper Autonomous Underwater
Vehicle. We use bathymetric surveys for many different types
of research including flood inundation, contour of streams and
reservoirs, leakage, scour and stabilization, water-quality
studies, dam removal, biological and spill, and storage and fill
in reservoirs and ponds.
Bathymetric surveys allow us to measure the depth of a water body as well as map the
underwater features of a water body.
Multiple methods can be used for bathymetric surveys:

 Multi-beam surveying: A multibeam echo sounder attached to a boat sends out a wide
array of beams across a "swath" of the waterbody floor. As the beams are bounced back
from the waterbody floor, the data is collected and processed. The processed data can
be viewed in real time on the boat during the survey. Multi-beam surveying is generally
done in larger water bodies.
  Single-beam surveying: Rather than sending out a wide set of beams, single-beam
bathymetry measures the water depth directly under the boat. Single-beam surveys are
generally used for smaller water bodies.

 Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP): ADCPs are used throughout USGS to
measure streamflow. ADCPs measure water velocity by transmitting sound waves which
are reflected off sediment and other materials in the water. Data collected from ADCPs
can then be used to for bathymetric mapping.
 Sub-bottom profilers: Sub-bottom profilers are most commonly used to view the layers of
sediment and rocks under the water body floor. A transducer sends a sound wave to the
water body floor. This sound wave can penetrate the water body floor. The data returned
from the sound waves can be mapped to show the layers beneath the water body floor.
 Ecomapper Autonomous Underwater Vehicle: The Ecomapper can collect detailed
bathymetric data, down to one-foot contours, in places that are difficult to reach with
boats. The Ecomapper uses side-scan sonar and a Doppler velocity log.

We use bathymetric surveys for many different types of research:

 flood inundation
 contour of streams and reservoirs
 leakage
 scour and stabilization
 water-quality studies
 dam removal
 biological and spill
 storage and fill in reservoirs and ponds

Current Partners for Multibeam Surveys

 Citizens Energy Group (Morse and Geist Reservoirs)

 USGS Illinois Water Science Center [in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers] (Lake Michigan shore front near near Burns Harbor, Des Plaines River in
Joliet, IL)
What is bathymetry?
Bathymetry is the study of the "beds" or "floors" of water
bodies, including the ocean, rivers, streams, and lakes.

Bathymetry map of East Flower Garden Bank.

The term "bathymetry" originally referred to the ocean's depth relative to sea level,
although it has come to mean “submarine topography,” or the depths and shapes of
underwater terrain.
In the same way that topographic maps represent the three-dimensional features (or
relief) of overland terrain, bathymetric maps illustrate the land that lies underwater.
Variations in sea-floor relief may be depicted by color and contour lines called depth
contours or isobaths.

Bathymetry is the foundation of the science of hydrography, which measures the

physical features of a water body. Hydrography includes not only bathymetry, but
also the shape and features of the shoreline; the characteristics of tides, currents,
and waves; and the physical and chemical properties of the water itself.