New Images Of 'Britain's Atlantis' Offer Clearest Details Of Lost City [VIDEO]

Fresh off the current of this week's news of Brazil's "Atlantis" a new report from a lost underwater city off the coast of England provides the most detailed analysis ever of the medieval town of Dunwich, dubbed "Britain's Atlantis."

Dunwich was one a thriving port town that was similar in size to 14th century London. But major storms starting at the beginning of the 1200s the town was battered with severe storms, which caused coastal erosion and flooding. In one great storm more than 25 percent of Dunwich fell into the sea.The Dunwich River became silted and lost its place as an efficient transportation byway. By the 1400s the town had lost its position as a major port. It was ultimately abandoned before centuries of continued erosion caused the whole town of Dunwich to fall into the sea.

The city lost to the sea has long been a point of archaeological interest, but clear observations have been difficult to make because the site rests beneath three to 10 meters (10-33 feet) of muddy water.

But a new study of Dunwich using high-resolution acoustic imaging has provided the clearest picture of Britain's Atlantis yet.

David Sear, a professor of geography and environment at University of Southampton, led a research endeavor that made use of DIDSON imaging technology, which is usually used to explore marine wrecks. Sear said that the Dunwich exploration was the first non-wreck site the technology was used on.

"DIDSON technology is rather like shining a torch onto the seabed, only using sound instead of light. The data produced helps us to not only see the ruins, but also understand more about how they interact with the tidal currents and sea bed," Sear said in a statement. 

Studying the remains of the town may yield clues of how to protects existing coastal towns from meeting the same fate as Dunwich as time goes on and coastline continues to erode.

"The loss of most of the medieval town of Dunwich over the last few hundred years - one of the most important English ports in the Middle Ages - is part of a long process that is likely to result in more losses in the future. Everyone was surprised, though, by how much of the eroded town still survives under the sea and is identifiable," said Peter Murphy, a coastal survey expert with the protection group English Heritage.

"Whilst we cannot stop the forces of nature, we can ensure what is significant is recorded and our knowledge and memory of a place doesn't get lost forever. Professor Sear and his team have developed techniques that will be valuable to understanding submerged and eroded terrestrial sites elsewhere."

The full report of the latest research, as well as other historical information on Dunwich can be found here.