Underwater Archaeology is the methodical investigation of human activity that are currently submerged. Remains may vary from bones to pottery to shipwrecks and may not even be maritime in nature. Compared to terrestrial archaeology, underwater archaeology is often much more challenging due to its inherent dangers. However, unlike many terrestrial sites, some underwater archaeological sites are more completely preserved from the degrading effects of humans, oxygen, weather and vegetation. Therefore, underwater archaeology offers many clues to the past that cannot be found on land and serves as an excellent partner to terrestrial archaeology. In order to discover and interpret these clues and archeologist utilizes a number of scientific instruments including magnetometers, GIS, GPS, and side-scan sonar.
