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Multibeam echosounder
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<p>A multibeam echosounder (MBES) is a type of <a href="/facts/Sonar/245ooRW7">sonar</a> that is used to <a href="/facts/Seafloor_mapping/r7MCus78">map the seabed</a>. It emits <a href="/facts/Acoustic_wave/Mf8m46AI">acoustic waves</a> in a fan shape beneath its <a href="/facts/Transceiver/S6HSzRPf">transceiver</a>. The <a href="/facts/Time_of_flight/DSINDYyn">time</a> it takes for the sound waves to reflect off the seabed and return to the receiver is used to calculate the water depth. Unlike other sonars and <a href="/facts/Echo_sounder/El22TcqE">echo sounders</a>, MBES uses <a href="/facts/Beamforming/4VpeHoGc">beamforming</a> to extract directional information from the returning soundwaves, producing a <a href="/facts/Swathe/fQA3dUHy">swathe</a> of <a href="/facts/Depth_sounding/GjtKqKxa">depth soundings</a> from a single ping. </p>