Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have collaborated with NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite to produce the most comprehensive map of Adam’s Bridge, also known as Ram Setu. This submerged ridge stretches from Dhanushkodi in India to Talaimannar Island in Sri Lanka.
The mapping exercise, conducted by ISRO’s Jodhpur and Hyderabad National Remote Sensing Centres, utilized ICESat-2’s laser beams to ascertain that 99.8% of Adam’s Bridge lies submerged in shallow waters.
Adam’s Bridge is believed to have once served as a land connection between India and Sri Lanka, supported by existing geological evidence.
ISRO scientists observed an asymmetry in transverse slopes on either side of Adam’s Bridge, indicating varying sedimentation patterns influenced by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
Their research computed Adam’s Bridge to have a volume of approximately 1 km³, with only 0.02% of this volume above mean sea level. Optical satellite imagery corroborates that nearly 99.98% of the structure remains submerged in shallow and super-shallow waters.
Previous satellite observations focused primarily on elevated portions of Adam’s Bridge. ICESat-2’s green laser enabled deeper penetration, detecting the seafloor up to 40 meters depth.
Researchers collected approximately 0.2 million photons from ICESat-2, providing depth information crucial for generating high-resolution bathymetric data at a 10-meter resolution.
Using 3D-derived parameters such as contours, slope analysis, and volumetrics, scientists confirmed the current physical characteristics of Adam’s Bridge.
This study marks a significant advancement in understanding the submerged structure of Adam’s Bridge, shedding light on its geological history and providing valuable data for future research in marine geophysics and archaeology.