Comparison of Publicly Available Bathymetric Data with Real Measurements in the Southeastern Black Sea

Being able to access accurate and reliable depth information has uncountable benefits for not only fields of oceanography, geophysics, geology, natural resources but also navigation & logistics. There is an ever-increasing demand for high-resolution bathymetric data for those fields since only a small portion of the world seas and oceans have been explored, observed, and charted so far. There are some sources which provide publicly available global bathymetric data to its stakeholders and users such as widely used European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). In general, it is challenging for researchers to select the best fit for their studies among available datasets, due to the fact that their sole reliability is not well-assessed. The purpose of our study, thus, is to compare those publicly available bathymetric data with field measurements obtained from the surveys carried out by the Office of Navigation, Hydrography and Oceanography for an area of interest in the southeastern Black Sea comprising various characteristics as to the bottom topography (i.e. homogeneous elevation, steep slope, mild slope, etc.). Validation is conducted focusing on these distinct features by means of visual assessment and quantitative comparison. Results reveal that, even though there is an overall agreement, local discrepancies are also present. Nonetheless, GEBCO and EMODnet datasets are proved to be great assets for any hydrospatial application that does not necessarily require high spatial resolution.