A Review of Advancements and Applications of Satellite-Derived Bathymetry

2025

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.30919/es1541
Data confidence 70 medium
How this score is calculated

It is built from checkable properties of the record itself: whether the article has a DOI, how many independent sources confirmed its data, whether the required fields are filled in, and how recent the latest confirmation is. Disagreement between sources and a missing identifier lower it. A value of 80 or above means the record was published without further checking; 60 to 79 means it is published at reduced confidence, with a manual check advisable. A record verified by an editor by hand is never pushed below 90 by a recalculation. This scores our data about the article, not the article itself.

Abstract

Satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) has revolutionized underwater mapping by using remote sensing techniques to estimate water depth with high spatial coverage and cost-effectiveness.This paper reviews the evolution of bathymetric methods from traditional ruler-based measurements to modern acoustic and satellitebased approaches.Different remote sensing technologies, including LiDAR, multispectral, and altimetric bathymetry, are reviewed, emphasizing their advantages and limitations.The performance of SDB in various environments, including coastal zones, coral reefs, inland water bodies, and glacial regions, is analyzed, with a focus on how water transparency, spectral band selection, and machine learning techniques impact accuracy.Additionally, new deep learning models, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and U-Net architectures, are explored in terms of their potential to enhance bathymetric mapping.Although SDB provides significant advances in mapping capabilities, challenges, such as optical limitations in turbid waters and seasonal variability, require hybrid approaches that combine multiple sensing modalities.This study emphasizes the role of artificial intelligence in refining bathymetric estimates and highlights future research directions, including the combination of hyperspectral imagery and radar.