Author: Peter Etnoyer

Did you ever look at Google’s digital Earth model and notice something missing? Like 70% of Earth’s topography, for instance? Google’s “ocean” is a blended product of Landsat imagery and state-of-the-art satellite-derived bathymetry model that is, well, sooo last century. The seafloor is shown in a kind of “shadow topography”. Fortunately, everything with a digital elevation less than zero is about to get some new emotion.

Dolphins swim through water by moving their flipper in an up and down motion. Sharks propel themselves forward moving from side to side. Olympic gold…