Deep Seafloor Imaging: Only 0.001% Seen, Study Says
Why in the news
A Science Advances study showed how little of the deep sea has been seen; it covers two-thirds of Earth’s surface.
Key facts
- US-based researchers examined 43,681 dives from 34 institutions in 14 countries, across 120 EEZs and high seas.
- Area estimates: 1,259-2,130 km2, or 3,823 km2 over 66 years.
- Dives: 97% by the US, Japan, New Zealand, France and Germany; none from Africa and most of Latin America.
- Canyons and escarpments over-sampled; abyssal plains under-sampled.
Why it matters
- Imagery contextualises samples and calibrates remote sensing.
- Deep-sea conclusions rest on a tiny sample.
- 1,000 platforms at about 3 km2 a year each would need 100,000 years.
Exam angle
- Deep ocean: 200 m or more.