Editing Bathymetry (section)

===Satellite imagery===
{{further|Satellite imagery|Satellite-derived bathymetry}}

Another form of mapping the seafloor is through the use of satellites. The satellites are equipped with [[hyperspectral imaging|hyper-spectral]] and [[multispectral imaging|multi-spectral]] sensors which are used to provide constant streams of images of coastal areas providing a more feasible method of visualising the bottom of the seabed.<ref name=F2>Charles W. Finkl, ed., 2016, ''Seafloor Mapping Along Continental Shelves: Research and Techniques for Visualizing Benthic Environments.'' Internet resource edition. Volume 13. pp. 31–35</ref>

====Hyper-spectral sensors====
{{main|Hyperspectral imaging}}
The data-sets produced by hyper-spectral (HS) sensors tend to range between 100 and 200 [[spectral band]]s of approximately 5–10&nbsp;nm bandwidths. Hyper-spectral sensing, or imaging spectroscopy, is a combination of continuous remote imaging and spectroscopy producing a single set of data.<ref name=F2/> Two examples of this kind of sensing are AVIRIS ([[airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer]]) and HYPERION.

The application of HS sensors in regards to the imaging of the seafloor is the detection and monitoring of [[chlorophyll]], [[phytoplankton]], [[salinity]], water quality, dissolved organic materials, and [[suspended load|suspended sediments]]. However, this does not provide a great visual interpretation of coastal environments.<ref name=F2/>{{clarify|What relevance does this technology have to actual seafloor mapping?|date=July 2022}}

====Multi-spectral sensors====
{{main|Multispectral imaging}}
The other method of satellite imaging, multi-spectral (MS) imaging, tends to divide the EM spectrum into a small number of bands, unlike its partner hyper-spectral sensors which can capture a much larger number of spectral bands.

MS sensing is used more in the mapping of the seabed due to its fewer spectral bands with relatively larger bandwidths. The larger bandwidths allow for a larger spectral coverage, which is crucial in the visual detection of marine features and general spectral resolution of the images acquired.<ref name=F2/>{{clarify|How is it used? How is the larger spectral coverage relevant to visual detection of features?|date=July 2022}}