In a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, marine geologist Matthias Baeye at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and colleagues explain that wrecks produce Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) concentration signals which can be detected by high-resolution ocean color satellite data such as NASA's Landsat-8.

Distinctive linear plumes of these particles extend as far as 2.5 miles downstream from shallow shipwreck sites and are therefore easily detectable from space.

'Landsat-8 data is free and therefore the method presented in the study is an inexpensive alternative to acoustic and laser survey techniques,' Baeye and colleagues wrote.