A review of oceanographic applications of water column data from multibeam echosounders

Multibeam echosounder systems (MBES) have long provided bathymetric data with high temporal and spatial resolution. In the last couple of decades, MBES observations of scattering in the water column have been finding increasing use in oceanographic studies. Here we review the wealth of studies using water column multibeam data to address questions in fisheries, marine mammal and zooplankton research as well as seeps and hydrothermal vents. We also summarize some of the tantalizing new oceanographic applications of water column MBES, such as kelp ecosystems, near surface bubbles, suspended sediment, mixing and internal waves, as well as the proper determination of the extent of shipwreck above the sea floor. We highlight the many advantages of using water column MBES and discuss the challenges. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.