MEANING
The measurement and mapping of water depths and the shape of the bottom beneath them.
Use it for
describing a survey of the ocean floor; explaining depth contours on a marine map; distinguishing underwater relief mapping from surface geographyProvides the underwater counterpart to measuring and mapping land relief. Writing functions: Depth measurement and underwater mapping.
Words that belong together
- seafloor bathymetry
- bathymetry data
- high-resolution bathymetry
On the page
The expedition used sonar to improve the bathymetry of the trench.
Accurate bathymetry revealed a ridge absent from older charts.
Word forms
- Base
- bathymetry
Usage notes
Mass noun: bathymetry. Related adjective bathymetric; no ordinary plural needed. Register: technical. Commonness: uncommon in general English; established in marine surveying (dictionary-informed qualitative editorial estimate; not a measured frequency).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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