Google Earth goes under the sea

Google Earth broke new ground (new water?) when they took the world of virtual-earth-exploring into the oceans. Of course, the oceans are kind of big. They fill up nearly three-quarters of the earth's surface area, and most of that area hasn't been mapped out. But now you can tour roughly half of the known area without pulling on any SCUBA gear, thanks to Google's new underwater terrain explorer.

Seeing the sea floor is just the beginning of the fun. Along the way, Google Earth points out eruptions, sea animals and other scientific points of interest from Hawaii to New York, all in nicely clear high resolution. (You can take a virtual tour through some highlights if the entire ocean world seems overwhelming.) This imagery represents nearly two decades of collected data from research ships that traveled about three million nautical miles and a partnership with scientists at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

It's a pretty amazing tool--finally, there's a reason to venture off the green-brown mass on which we live and venture beneath the blue. At least on Google Maps. We'd understand if you wanted to sit inside today and enjoy your air conditioning.


/Popular Science/