HUMANS HAVE ONLY SEEN 0.001% OF OUR DEEP SEAFLOOR, ACCORDING TO A STUDY
Despite the fact that the water makes up over 70% of the planet's surface, a recent study shows how little we actually know about the largest habitable area on Earth. Less than 0.001% of our deep bottom, or an area about the size of Rhode Island, has been observed by humans, according to a paper published on May 7 in the journal Science Advances.
At more than 656 feet below the ocean's surface, the deep sea is known for being one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. The water is cold, and there is little light; thus, strange animals like anglerfish and flapjack octopus can survive in almost complete or total darkness. Since these ecosystems absorb over 90% of the surplus heat produced by human activity and 30% of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, they are equally important for controlling and preserving our climate. From marine sponges that contain a variety of therapeutic chemical compounds to phytoplankton that generate an estimated 80% of the world's oxygen, the authors of the study share that this amazing biome offers "important services and resources to humans."
Despite its importance, deep-sea research is a difficult undertaking. Although the maps created by sonar aren't quite as thorough or detailed as those made by cameras, which are much more difficult to penetrate that deep into the ocean, they can undoubtedly show the structure of the seafloor.
“The fact of the matter is, when you're down there with a remotely operated vehicle or other sort of deep-submergence vehicle, you can only see a very tiny bit of the deep sea floor at any one time,” Katy Croff Bell of the nonprofit Ocean Discovery League, who led the study, explained to NPR.
It may not be surprising that humans haven't explored much of the deep oceans for those same reasons. Nevertheless, the 0.001% figure is instructive, demonstrating the extent of our remaining research. Bell and her colleagues created a database of over 44,000 recordings of deep-sea operations, ranging from human-driven submarines to robotic vehicles, beginning in 1958, in order to arrive at such a conclusion.
These initiatives have been quite limited in both geographical extent and seafloor area. The study found that most visible observations took place within 200 nautical miles of New Zealand, Japan, and the United States. These three nations led almost all of the missions, along with France and Germany.
According to Bell, "One of the least investigated regions is the Indian Ocean". "We just haven't seen all of the deep sea's ecosystems, so we can't truly provide you a global map of them, given how little we've seen and how skewed it is."
For Time Magazine, Bell added: “It’s like if we were to make all assumptions about terrestrial ecosystems from observations of 0.001% of land area, that would equate to smaller than the land area of Houston, Texas.”
The investigation follows the April 24 executive order made by US President Trump to expedite deep-sea mining in the Pacific Ocean. Significant outrage has been generated by the action, as well as concerns about the impact of mining on deep-sea habitats.
“It’s like clear-cutting the forest,” Jeff Watters, VP of external affairs at Ocean Conservancy, told Time. “You’re talking about completely destroying a deep-sea bed environment for all intents and purposes on the human scale permanently.”
