New research reveals just how much is known about the deep seafloor. In their new study, “How Little We’ve Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor,” researchers from the Ocean Discovery League reveal that less than 0.001% of the deep sea floor has been explored.
The ocean covers 72% of Earth’s surface, and for the last several decades, scientists and industries have studied its depths with increasingly advanced technologies. Yet for all that, the sum total of the deep sea floor that has been imaged is roughly the size of Rhode Island.
It´s impossible to define the full significance of the ocean’s ecosystems in the planet’s health from a sample size that small. However, from the data available, scientists know that the ocean plays an outsized role in carbon storage and oxygen production. Furthermore, ocean ecosystems have historically been a source of invaluable pharmaceutical discoveries including anti-inflammatories and painkillers.
As industries increasingly eye the deep sea for mineral extraction projects, concern grows in scientific communities about further disrupting deep-sea ecosystems while so little remains known about them.
“As we face accelerated threats to the deep ocean—from climate change to potential
mining and resource exploitation—this limited exploration of such a vast region
becomes a critical problem for both science and policy,” said Dr. Katy Croff Bell,
President of Ocean Discovery League, National Geographic Explorer, and lead author
of the study. “We need a much better understanding of the deep ocean’s ecosystems
and processes to make informed decisions about resource management and
conservation.”
Not only has remarkably little of the ocean been explored, but the majority of observations have taken place within less than 200 nautical miles of a mere three countries — the United States, Japan, and New Zealand. Limited both in scope and diversity, available deep-sea research is insufficient for scientists to predict exactly what would happen if industries proceed with disruptive extraction projects. But with the known benefits the ocean provides, scientists caution that they could pose major threats to the planet’s health. The Ocean Discovery League’s new report has stoked calls for research over the resources.
“There is so much of our ocean that remains a mystery,” says Dr. Ian Miller, Chief
Science and Innovation Officer at the National Geographic Society, which contributed
funding for this work. “Deep-sea exploration led by scientists and local communities is
crucial to better understanding the planet’s largest ecosystem. Dr. Bell’s goals to equip
global coastal communities with cutting-edge research and technology will ensure a
more representative analysis of the deep sea. If we have a better understanding of our
ocean, we are better able to conserve and protect it.”
Funding for the study was provided in part by the National Geographic Society and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expeditions program, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, and the Cabot Family Charitable Trust.
