Echo sounding

Echo sounding is a way scientists and explorers use to understand what is underwater. It's like using a special flashlight to see through the water and find out how deep the ocean or lake or river is, and what is at the bottom of it.

To do this, people use a machine called a sonar. The sonar sends out sound waves from a special speaker that travels through the water until it hits something at the bottom like rocks and fish. When the sound hits something, it bounces back to the sonar machine, which listens for the echoes.

Using the sound waves and the echoes, the machine can figure out how far under the surface of the water the objects are, and make a map of what is at the bottom. Scientists use this information to learn about the shape and features of the ocean floor or to find objects like sunken ships.

It's like the same way if you shout in a mountain, the sound will come back to you after some seconds. Scientists use this sound and its echo to learn about what's underneath the water. It helps them learn some things that we otherwise wouldn't know.