The new radar data can detect very small signs of seawater above the submarine volcano, accumulated by the gravitational force of the mountain. Most of these underwater volcanoes have not yet been mapped by sonar (a system of underwater positioning). This was reported by Interesting Engineering on April 20. The new list of submarine volcanoes was published in the journal Earth and Space Science.

Previously, only a quarter of the ocean floor was mapped by sonar, leaving scientists unsure how many underwater volcanoes exist. However, the new study uses high-resolution radar data, including data from the European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2 satellite and the SARAL satellite from the space agencies of India and France, to determine the location of underwater volcanoes 1,100 meters or higher.

According to marine geophysicist David Sandwell, who led the study, the new discovery is amazing. Underwater volcanoes pose a danger to ships, but they also contain rare earth and become a commercial target for deep-sea mineral explorers.

Submarine volcanoes are also important islands for marine life. Their slopes are home to coral and many other organisms. In addition, they also contain information about tectonic plates and magma activity, while contributing to controlling large ocean currents that isolate a large amount of heat and CO2.

According to Larry Mayer, director of the Center for Ocean Mapping and Exploration at the University of New Hampshire, the new list of submarine volcanoes is an important step forward. The list can be useful for ecological, tectonic, and ocean mixing studies. John Lowell, a scientist at the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), said that understanding the shape of the ocean floor will help cope with climate change.