ISRO scientists use US satellite to create undersea map of Ram Setu, This is the first underwater map of the entire 29-kilometre-long Adam’s bridge, showing its height as 8 metres above sea level.
ISRO scientists use US satellite to create undersea map of Ram Setu : Using data from a US satellite, Indian space scientists have prepared the most detailed map of Adam’s Bridge – more popularly known as Ram Setu – hoping it will help resolve long-standing disputes over the “origin” of the land bridge between India and Sri Lanka. The mapping exercise has produced the first undersea map of the entire 29-km-long bridge, showing its height of 8 metres above sea level.
“This report is the first to provide intricate details about Adam’s Bridge using NASA satellite ICESat-2 Water Penetrated Photon. Our findings may help enhance understanding about Adam’s Bridge and its origin,” scientists from ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre said in the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
ISRO scientists use US satellite to create undersea map 2024
Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have successfully mapped the submerged structure of Adam’s Bridge, popularly known as Ram Setu, an ancient bridge between India and Sri Lanka that finds mention in Indian religious texts. They created the most accurate underwater map of Adam’s Bridge, proving the submerged ridge to be a “continuity” from Dhanushkodi in India to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The researchers used ICESat-2 data from October 2018 to October 2023 to create a 10-metre resolution map of the entire length of the submerged ridge, fine enough to capture details the size of a train coach.
The detailed underwater map shows the continuity of the bridge from Dhanushkodi to Talaimannar, with a staggering 99.98 per cent of it submerged in shallow water.
ISRO scientists used advanced laser technology from a US satellite to create a high-resolution map of the entire length of the submerged ridge, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
ISRO scientists use US satellite to create undersea map 2024
The research team, led by Giribabu Dandabathula, discovered 11 narrow channels that allow water to flow between the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, playing a key role in protecting the structure from sea waves.
The study confirms the origin of Adam’s Bridge or Ram Setu, which was once a land connection between India and Sri Lanka. The findings provide new insights into the history of the region and the construction of this ancient structure.
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Mythological context of Adam’s Bridge
The submerged structure was named Adam’s Bridge by a cartographer of the East India Company. The structure, described by Indians as Ram Setu, is mentioned in the Ramayana as a bridge built by Rama’s army to help them reach Ravana’s kingdom Sri Lanka to rescue his wife Sita.
Persian sailors in the ninth century AD referred to the bridge as Sethu Bandhai or bridge over the sea. Temple records at Rameswaram reveal that the bridge was above sea level until 1480 when it was demolished by a powerful storm.
Earlier, satellite observations pointed to constructions under the sea. But these observations were mainly focused on exposed parts of the bridge. The sea in the area is extremely shallow, ranging from one to ten metres deep in some parts, making navigation and ship mapping of the ridge difficult.
The satellite carries a laser altimeter that allows photons or light particles to penetrate the water to measure the height of any structure in shallow areas of the ocean.
ISRO scientists use US satellite to create undersea map 2024
Adam’s Bridge stretches from Dhanushkodi, the southeastern point of Rameswaram Island in India, to the northwestern tip of Talaimannar in Mannar Island in Sri Lanka.
It is an underwater ridge made up of a series of limestone shoals, part of which is visible above water, but has no rocks or vegetation.
In the epic Ramayana, it is described as Ram Setu, built by Lord Rama’s monkey army to reach Sri Lanka to battle the demon king Ravana to rescue Rama’s wife Devi Sita.
Due to the centrality of the bridge in the timeless tale of Lord Rama, we have conducted several studies in the past to find out if it is a man-made structure. The evidence so far indicates the contrary.
He said that 99.98 per cent of the bridge is submerged in shallow and very shallow water, due to which survey of the area from ships is not possible.
ISRO scientists use US satellite to create undersea map 2024
The scientists found 11 narrow canals under the bridge, with a depth between 2-3 metres, allowing free flow or exchange of water between the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
Scientists say that such tectonic activities and fluctuations in sea level associated with melting of glaciers may have led to the formation of the land bridge.
In the 9th century AD, Persian sailors referred to this border as ‘Setu Bandhai’ or a bridge over the sea connecting India and Sri Lanka. Temple records of Rameswaram reveal that the bridge was above water till 1480 and was submerged during a cyclone.