One of the most important and informative conventions used in modern cartography is the relief of our planet. These data are usually denoted using various types of contours. In this article, we will talk about one form of such contours, namely, the value of the isobath.
Contours
The day will provide a common understanding of the concept of "isoline", including "isobath." These are lines connecting points on the map with an equal numerical value of a quantity. Contours can connect equal values of heights and depths, as well as different climatic characteristics (for example, air temperature). The contour is a smooth curve without sudden changes.
Features of isolines
These include:
- They do not have intersections with each other.
- Each contour has its own numerical value, which is always signed next to it.
- The closer the contours are to each other, the sharper the transition of the magnitude values is present on the terrain (for example, a close accumulation of contours at the tops of mountains or at sea basins).
- In seas with no straits, the average water level is taken for the isobath value equal to zero.
- In seas with the presence of strains for isobath equal to zero, the minimum value of the water level (at low tide) is taken.
Isobata - what is it?
If we pick up a geographical map, we will definitely pay attention to the fact that all the seas and oceans have different depths and are located at different heights, and the sea bottom is not even at all. The deepest areas on our planet on the map are painted in dark blue, and the smallest are indicated in light blue. For ease of use, it was decided to mark the lines connecting the territories with the same depth. These lines are isobaths.
Origin of the word
Isobata is a word originating from the Greek language. In it, the part “iso” has the translation “identical”, and the part “baht”, in turn, is translated as “depth”. Thus, isobath is literally "equal depth."
Now you are introduced to a new geographical term. Let's hope that this article was useful to you, and it was interesting to read it.