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Oceans cover over 70% of the world’s surface, along with holding 97% of the total water on the planet. Evidence strongly suggests that life on Earth also began in the oceans, particularly in the deep sea. However, did you know that for as long as we have stayed alive on this planet, studies have shown that humanity has only explored 0.001% of the seafloor. Let’s discuss why that is and the importance of knowing more about our oceans.
A Vast Unknown Beneath Us
An area the size of Rhode Island, scientists say that all the seafloor we have explored is equivalent only to that amount. This means that 99.999% of the deep ocean floor remains a mystery to us. In other words, it means that the largest ecosystem on the planet, where other forms of life could exist, is unknown.
The deep ocean, which scientifically means part of our seas below 200 meters or 656 feet, is important for the regulation of the Earth’s atmosphere, oxygen production, and supports living things that humanity has probably never seen. But due to some challenges, up to this current day, with all the advanced technologies that we have, we still don’t have enough capability to explore them.
Read more: Smithsonian Magazine
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Challenges in Deep-Sea Exploration
The ocean is a very extreme environment, especially as we approach the deep sea floor. The sunlight can’t reach it, the pressure is immense, and the terrain is harsh. All of these reasons made any exploration expensive and dangerous.
The current way we explore the deep sea floor is by using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or crewed submersibles, but even these are so costly and risky that the benefits do not outweigh the challenges to push through.
If there are enough profits to gain, most companies and governments would have likely raced to the bottom already. However, the importance of exploring the deep sea offers a different type of value to human civilization.
The Importance of Mapping the Seafloor
Did you know that most deep-sea exploration is concentrated in a few countries such as the United States, Japan, and New Zealand? This means that most of our understanding about the deep sea floor is based on the water near these countries, making it biased or possibly wrong.
That is why the continuation of exploration of the deep sea floor is necessary to know more about one of the most important areas on the planet. One where life originated, and is keeping it possible to exist. To some companies, that knowledge might not mean anything, and no profit can be gained from it. However, its value is priceless.
Let’s talk practical next, the deep seafloor is most likely holding ecosystems that can help us improve medicine and our biotechnology. These are opportunities that we could be missing out on if we don’t map the deep seafloor.
Read more: Time.com
Initiatives Aiming to Explore the Deep
The good news is that there are organizations that are planning on mapping the seafloor of the planet, such as the Seabed 2030 project, which aims to map the entire ocean floor by 2030.
One of the highest contributing factors to this goal is the improvements in autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and satellite technologies, which means even without humans down below, we could map the entire ocean floor soon.
However, keep in mind that mapping the seafloor is not the same as exploring it. There are things and views that only humans are capable of perceiving. Sooner or later, we will have to create a way to be able to see it for ourselves.
Author's Final Thoughts
The revelation that we’ve explored only 0.001% of the deep seafloor is both shocking because of all the technologies we have, but also a way for concerned scientists to call for action.
They most likely believe that it holds the key to unlock humanity and the planet to reach our next stage of evolution as a civilization, maybe one that could not only survive but also live deep below the ocean.
Read more: The Sun Might Possess Consciousness, Some Scientists Say
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