Oceans in Google Earth

The newest version of Google Earth will detail Oceans. Didn't Google Earth always have an ocean? Technically, yes, well, sort of. They have always had a big blue expanse and some low-resolution shading to suggest depth. But starting today they have a much more detailed bathymetric map (the ocean floor), so you can actually drop below the surface and explore the nooks and crannies of the seafloor in 3D. While you're there you can explore thousands of data points including videos and images of ocean life, details on the best surf spots, logs of real ocean expeditions, and much more.

Members of the Google Earth team will be publishing in-depth posts about all of the new features in Google Earth 5.0 on the Lat Long blog all week, so be sure to check back there often. And check out the video tour below.

Google Earth 5.0 is out now.