A High-Resolution Digital Bathymetric Elevation Model Derived from ICESat-2 for Adam's Bridge.

Area of Science:

• Geosciences
• Oceanography
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• Adam's Bridge is a geologically significant chain of shoals between India and Sri Lanka.
• Understanding its bathymetry is crucial for geological and ecological studies.
• Previous bathymetric data may lack the resolution needed for detailed analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate a high-resolution digital bathymetric elevation model of Adam's Bridge.
• To utilize ICESat-2 LiDAR data for mapping shallow water seafloor topography.
• To provide a dataset that aids in reconstructing the evolution of Adam's Bridge.

Main Methods:

• Acquisition and processing of approximately 0.2 million geolocated photons from ICESat-2.
• Leveraging the green laser's photon penetrability in shallow waters.
• Interpolation of seafloor depth data to create a 10-meter resolution digital elevation model.

Main Results:

• A 10-meter resolution digital bathymetric elevation model for the Adam's Bridge region.
• Detailed seafloor topography derived from ICESat-2 LiDAR data.
• Accurate depth measurements in shallow and super-shallow waters.

Conclusions:

• The generated dataset offers unprecedented detail of Adam's Bridge's seafloor structure.
• This high-resolution bathymetric data is valuable for scientific research and understanding geological formations.
• The dataset provides a foundation for future studies on the geomorphological evolution of Adam's Bridge.