𝗦𝗗𝗕 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗼. 𝟮 showcases the application of Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean state.

NASA’s description of the Bahamas reads like poetry: ‘𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢, 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩𝘴.’

The crests of this hilly underwater terrain form the islands of the Bahamas. The Great Bahama Bank, a massive underwater hill composed mainly of condensed carbonate sediments and ringed by reefs, dominates the view.

Impressively clear waters

Despite hurricanes Milton and Oscar, the islands saw a record-breaking 11.2 million international visitors in 2024. Cruise tourism remains the key driver, according to Travelweek.

Across the banks, the water is often less than 10 metres deep, whereas the surrounding ocean floor drops dramatically to depths of 4,000 metres. The water’s clarity is amazing with Secchi Disk Depths of up to 40 metres – ideal conditions for SDB.

For this 10-m dataset, we analysed over 1,000 satellite scenes of Sentinel-2. These SDB results were validated using Satellite Lidar Bathymetry (SLB) with around 5 million data points  from NASA’s IceSat sensor.

This dataset is useful for

• Managing this valuable ecosystem
• Understanding dynamics and both natural and human impacts
• Supporting safe navigation

10 metre resolution means that the smallest area mapped is 10x10m size – which is quite impressive for extended areas such as the Bahamas.

However, for detailed studies – especially in coastal engineering and planning – we can increase the spatial resolution to submeter level of details (see Image 2). – Interested?

Contact

For other purposes – especially in coastal engineering and planning – we can increase the spatial resolution of SDB grids to submeter levels of detail. – Interested?

Please contact our US office or our SDB team for SDB services worldwide.

 

SDB update is a Linkedin post series on Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) by EOMAP – a Fugro company. Enjoy news, facts, and figures on a bi-weekly basis!