“Very challenging”

According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) chief Martin Dolan, the search 1,800km west of Perth is as difficult as you can get. “It’s a hell of an area and horribly complicated. ” Speaking with Contrails Dolan said that “the complexities surrounding the search cannot be understated. But it’s not impossible and we remain confident. ” Dolan continued: “There are areas within the highest probability search zone that are of special interest. ” That highest probability search zone covers 60,000km and was determined after detailed analysis by five independent teams.

The ocean floor mapping of this area with echo sounders started in June and was expected to wind up late in September, and has revealed such features as extinct volcanoes.

Dolan said that Geoscience Australia has been analysing the mapping data obtained by Dutch company Fugro.

This has turned up some “interesting hard objects”, but Dolan warned that they could just be rocky formations amongst silty seabed.

The mapping ships have been using multibeam sonar and in addition to providing depth information for underwater navigation, the sonar also provides information about the composition of the sea floor.

The multibeam sonar can identify degrees of hardness, although it cannot distinguish between (for example) the hard metal of an aircraft and the hard rock of the seafloor.

The vast majority of hard spots found are most likely to be geological features as opposed to man-made objects. By identifying these hard objects the ATSB is identifying where closer investigation may be required during the deep water search.

However, Dolan puts more emphasis in the analysis of two unanswered phone calls made by Malaysia Airlines operations team to MH370. According to telecommunications data the first phone call made 17 minutes after radar contact was lost north-west of Malaysia indicated the 777 had turned south a little earlier than originally thought.

This would mean the aircraft would be further south near or beyond Broken Ridge, Dolan said. In fact Fugro has been mapping beyond Broken Ridge, a sheer drop off into an area that is the Swiss Alps of the seabed.

The seabed in the first area of interest has been likened to the Swiss Alps.

It is expected that a video fly-through of this area will be released to the public after the relatives have been shown. It is spectacular and sobering and underscores the enormous challenge of finding MH370.

The search will also be dynamic with ongoing analysis of data throwing up small refinements.

The wreckage of MH370 is also likely buried in silt up to 60m deep according to a renowned oceanographer.

Charitha Pattiaratchi, Winthrop Professor of Coastal Oceanography at the University of WA, says the search will be “very challenging. ” In an exclusive interview with Contrails Professor Pattiaratchi said that the seabed in the search area varied in depth from 237m to 6,220m with deep valleys and soaring mountains.

“There will be a thick layer of marine snow – biological matter – on the seabed accumulated over millions of years,” said Prof Pattiaratchi.

Three vessels will take part in the search, the Fugro Equator, Fugro Discovery and the Malaysian Go Phoenix.

Each will tow a side-scanner sonar on a 10,000m cable which will feed data live to the ship. All the scanners have video capability if something of interest is detected.

To search the entire area may take 12 months.

Privately, people connected with the search have expressed a very high level of confidence that MH370 will be found. If that proves correct it will be a triumph for the ATSB and its key partner Fugro.