Chinese team maps South China Sea floor with ‘twice the resolution’ of Western models

China has mapped the seabed of its claimed waters including the South China Sea, with twice the resolution and up to five times the accuracy of methods used by other countries after more than two decades of effort, according to scientists involved in the project. The importance of such work was underscored in October 2021, when the US Navy’s Seawolf-class nuclear submarine USS Connecticut struck an uncharted seamount while submerged in the South China Sea. The collision grounded the vessel…