side-scan sonar

noun

: a sonar that scans the ocean floor to the side of a ship's track and is used especially for mapping the ocean bottom

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Searchers have been using side-scan sonar, as well as drones and other tools. Phil Helsel, NBC News, 24 Mar. 2023 But forward-looking and side-scan sonar is getting there. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 14 Mar. 2023 Similar to how a side-scan sonar finds objects in the water, remote sensing creates a map of what lies beneath. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2022 Anyone who has found success with the technology will agree the forward-facing concept is a significant improvement over conventional down scan and side-scan sonar introduced more than a decade ago. Matt Williams, Dallas News, 19 Mar. 2022 Variations of side-scan sonar devices can map a distance ranging from 10 meters to 60 kilometers. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2022 Wreckage believed to be of the W.E. Marsh No. 4 was discovered by happenstance near the lake's marina in 2014 using side-scan sonar, while a state park crew was searching for a keel that had fallen off a sailboat, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2022 Thanks to the side-scan sonar, Wright completed her task to bring back the first high-resolution mapping of Challenger Deep. Bry'onna Mention, Essence, 26 Sep. 2022 But one of the best tools to do that is side-scan sonar, and typically the instruments can't survive the harsh environment. CBS News, 22 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'side-scan sonar.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of side-scan sonar was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near side-scan sonar

Cite this Entry

“Side-scan sonar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/side-scan%20sonar. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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