Is it true that only 5% of the ocean has been explored?
In fact, most of the waters remain unexplored, uncharted and unseen by our eyes. It might be shocking to find out, but only 5% of the ocean has been explored and charted by humans. The rest, especially its depths, are still unknown.
More than eighty percent of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. Much remains to be learned from exploring the mysteries of the deep.
Our oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface, but over 80% of them remain unexplored.
A Vast Underwater World to Explore
It's often said that 95% of the Earth's ocean floor is unexplored. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) puts that figure at more than 80%.
Oceans cover around 70 percent of the Earth's surface so it shouldn't be surprising that when it comes to exploration, we've only just scratched the surface. So far, human eyes have only seen around 5 percent of the ocean floor.
While thousands of climbers have successfully scaled Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, only two people have descended to the planet's deepest point, the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench.
“The intense pressures in the deep ocean make it an extremely difficult environment to explore.” Although you don't notice it, the pressure of the air pushing down on your body at sea level is about 15 pounds per square inch. If you went up into space, above the Earth's atmosphere, the pressure would decrease to zero.
We continue to discover new features and creatures, clues to our past, and resources that can improve our future. But the ocean will never be fully explored. Earth is constantly changing, and it's important to understand these changes given the importance of the ocean in our everyday lives.
More than 80 percent of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans. A far greater percentage of the surfaces of the moon and the planet Mars has been mapped and studied than of our own ocean floor.
A piece of the Space Shuttle Challenger was recently found off the coast of Florida, NASA announced in a news release Thursday. The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after takeoff on Jan. 28, 1986.
What will the ocean be like in 2050?
“By 2050, moderate flooding — which is typically disruptive and damaging by today's weather, sea level and infrastructure standards — is expected to occur more than 10 times as often as it does today,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, NOAA National Ocean Service Director.
Experts say that by 2050 there may be more plastic than fish in the sea, or perhaps only plastic left. Others say 90% of our coral reefs may be dead, waves of mass marine extinction may be unleashed, and our seas may be left overheated, acidified and lacking oxygen. It is easy to forget that 2050 is not that far off.
The ocean floor is called the abyssal plain. Below the ocean floor, there are a few small deeper areas called ocean trenches. Features rising up from the ocean floor include seamounts, volcanic islands and the mid-oceanic ridges and rises.
So in a sense, a majority of the creatures lurking below the surface may as well be aliens. Meanwhile, researchers from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada believe that 91 percent of these marine animals are still unknown to us.
Although the oceans are technically viewed as international zones, meaning no one country has jurisdiction over it all, there are regulations in place to help keep the peace and to essentially divide responsibility for the world's oceans to various entities or countries around the world.
The ocean is big, deep and impermeable to the laser altimeter that made mapping our less watery neighbor planets possible. To complete a map of Earth's ocean floor, you've got to take to the high seas by boat. The first oceanographic researchers—like those onboard the H.M.S.
The maximum depth reached by anyone in a single breath is 702 feet (213.9 metres) and this record was set in 2007 by Herbert Nitsch. He also holds the record for the deepest dive without oxygen – reaching a depth of 831 feet (253.2 metres) but he sustained a brain injury as he was ascending.
This took more than 350 million years. There are humans (Bajau Laut- sea nomads) who can hold their breath for longer durations (up to some minutes) underwater. However, it is biologically impossible to evolve (or devolve) to live underwater in a short period.
In the Pacific Ocean, somewhere between Guam and the Philippines, lies the Marianas Trench, also known as the Mariana Trench. At 35,814 feet below sea level, its bottom is called the Challenger Deep — the deepest point known on Earth.
Hidden inside the Earth—within the first several hundred kilometers below the crust—there is another ocean. It is, most likely, the largest ocean in the world. This water is not sloshing around in a big pool.
Where can 90% of the of the ocean's life be found?
It is also called the euphotic zone. Here there is enough light penetrating the water to support photosynthesis. Because photosynthesis occurs here, more than 90 percent of all marine life lives in the sunlit zone. The sunlit zones goes down about 600 feet.
Collapse. According to a study of 7,800 ocean species, we are heading for a complete collapse of ocean life by 2048.
Then, in July 2022, I went down to Challenger Deep, the deepest known point of Earth's seabed, located around seven miles down in the Mariana Trench, in the western Pacific Ocean.
One of the biggest challenges of ocean exploration comes down to physics. Dr. Gene Carl Feldman, an oceanographer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, explains that the ocean, at great depths, is characterized by zero visibility, extremely cold temperatures, and crushing amounts of pressure.
Despite modern technologies, only 5 percent of the oceans have been explored. As such, the remaining 95 percent remains untouched, unseen, and undiscovered to date. Marine life. Regarding marine species, scientists have yet to discover how many exist in the oceans. Currently, around 226,000 ocean species are known.
References
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceandepth.html
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/sealevelrise/sealevelrise-tech-report.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabed
- https://www.newscientist.com/special/drowned-cities-myths-secrets-of-the-deep
- https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/why-did-we-stop-going-moon
- http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/ocean-layers.html
- https://www.engadget.com/quarter-sea-floor-mapped-seabed2030-190032402.html
- https://matadornetwork.com/read/clearest-waters-us-go-wild-swimming/
- https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/Article/1737193/hitting-bottom-submariner-explored-deepest-part-of-ocean/
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/35-billion-worth-of-real-estate-could-be-underwater-by-2050/
- https://www.britannica.com/facts/Atlantic-Ocean
- https://byjus.com/question-answer/can-humans-evolve-to-live-underwater/
- https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/brazil/articles/this-is-the-number-one-most-unexplored-place-in-the-world/
- https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/light-distributed.html
- https://brainly.in/question/16306285
- https://www.newsweek.com/ive-been-oceans-deepest-point-mariana-trench-what-i-saw-1729785
- http://www.deepseachallenge.com/the-expedition/mariana-trench/
- https://wgntv.com/weather/weather-blog/which-ocean-is-warmest-at-its-peak-in-the-summer-the-pacific-or-the-atlantic/
- https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/seawater
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_without_armed_forces
- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/science/earth-size-mass.html
- http://www.coastalwiki.org/wiki/Deep_sea_bottom
- https://www.mbgnet.net/salt/oceans/zone.htm
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/drinksw.html
- https://www.geographyrealm.com/owns-oceans/
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ocean-species.html
- https://interestingengineering.com/science/we-know-little-about-the-ocean
- https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/earth/ask-a-scientist-about-our-environment/will-the-world-ever-be-all-under-water
- https://www.vice.com/en/article/pgk3z9/why-havent-we-explored-the-ocean-like-outer-space
- https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/will-the-ocean-really-die.html
- https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/science-and-future/earths-inner-core-hidden-world-552764.html
- https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2019/04/19/you-asked-moon-oceans/
- https://www.dogonews.com/2023/1/13/nasa-pinpoints-the-coldest-place-on-earth
- https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ocean/
- https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/state-of-the-planet/no-more-fish-in-the-sea
- https://maritime-executive.com/article/Which-Ocean-Has-the-Most-Marine-Life-2014-05-20
- https://sciencenorway.no/space-space-research/why-doesnt-all-our-air-disappear-into-space/1870565
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/howmanyoceans.html
- https://www.marineinsight.com/life-at-sea/dangerous-ocean-waters-ships-should-be-afraid-of/
- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220111-why-nasa-is-exploring-the-deepest-oceans-on-earth
- https://www.calendar-canada.ca/faq/which-is-the-calmest-ocean
- https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/deep-sea-vents/light-and-dark-in-the-sea
- https://www.sciencealert.com/this-is-what-earth-will-look-like-in-100-years
- https://www.travelsupermarket.com/en-gb/blog/inspiration/crystal-clear-waters/
- https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/the-thought-experiment-what-would-happen-if-the-ocean-froze-over/
- http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/safety/ocean-water-quality-faq.htm
- https://www.kooxdiving.com/en/how-deep-can-a-human-dive-without-scuba-gear/
- https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/oceans/overfishing-statistics
- https://unric.org/en/oceans-in-danger-the-threats-they-face/
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/pacific.html
- https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/91107/searching-for-the-bluest
- https://blog.therainforestsite.greatergood.com/unvisited-earth-locations/
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2293764/The-hidden-world-sea-Scientists-parallel-universe-life-hidden-INSIDE-basalt-oceanic-crust.html
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/pollution.html
- https://www.space.com/33553-biggest-thing-universe.html
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/biggestocean.html
- https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-most-shark-infested-waters-in-the-world
- https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2019/08/07/wow-ing-and-raw-ing-in-the-south-pacific/
- https://theconversation.com/four-reasons-you-might-always-feel-cold-150016
- https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/pub_2484_CH4.pdf
- https://rwu.pressbooks.pub/webboceanography/chapter/5-4-dissolved-gases-oxygen/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/07/by-2030-half-the-worlds-oceans-could-be-reeling-from-climate-change-scientists-say/
- https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/explored.html
- https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-earthscience/chapter/the-seafloor/
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/theres-a-new-ocean-now-can-you-name-all-five-southern-ocean
- https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/all-about-the-ocean/
- https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/us-coastline-to-see-up-to-foot-of-sea-level-rise-by-2050
- https://www.globeguide.ca/swimming-in-the-dead-sea/
- https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-floor-features
- https://www.condorferries.co.uk/marine-ocean-pollution-statistics-facts
- https://candjwater.com/2020/01/29/purest-on-the-planet/
- https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-change-science/future-climate-change
- https://www.almanac.com/fact/is-the-atlantic-ocean-warmer-than-the
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html
- https://www.rd.com/list/most-shark-infested-waters-in-the-world/
- https://www.funboy.com/blogs/funboy-life/beaches-with-clear-water
- https://earth.org/half-of-earths-land-surface-remains-relatively-untouched-by-humans/
- https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-7-most-aggressive-sharks-in-the-world/
- https://www.wmur.com/article/space-shuttle-challenger-item-found-new-hampshire/41926047
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/wavesinocean.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_Deep
- https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/weve-only-explored-less-than-5-percent-of-the-ocean-floor
- https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/victor-vescovo-historic-dive/index.html
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/13/world/new-deep-sea-isopod-scn-trnd/index.html
- https://www.wayfairertravel.com/inspiration/worlds-most-endangered-marine-species/
- https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/how-long-does-it-take-for-a-body-to-decompose-at-sea/
- https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/plastic-in-our-oceans-is-killing-marine-mammals
- https://www.discovery.com/nature/watch-out--there-is-a-new-ocean-on-the-block
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/first-complete-map-ocean-floor-stirring-controversial-waters-180963993/
- https://oceana.org/blog/why-does-so-much-ocean-remain-unexplored-and-unprotected/
- https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/has-any-human-been-to-the-bottom-of-the-ocean
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wave-hello-earths-newest-ocean-180977974/
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/et-oceans.html
- https://www.booking.com/articles/usa-beautiful-beaches.html
- https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/ocean-exploration/
- https://escales.ponant.com/en/point-nemo/
- https://cafemom.com/entertainment/219552-httyd-hidden-world-movie-secrets
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sargassosea.html
- https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/246/can-we-really-travel-through-earths-core
- https://blogs.uoregon.edu/thubbardaad199/main-areas-of-ocean-pollution/
- https://www.universetoday.com/144904/this-is-what-the-world-would-look-like-if-the-oceans-dried-up/
- https://www.onthegotours.com/blog/2019/05/facts-about-the-dead-sea/
- https://theprint.in/environment/by-2050-there-may-be-more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-this-10-step-plan-can-change-that/612878/
- https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/p/Pacific_Ocean.htm
- https://animalscosmos.com/is-there-an-ocean-without-sharks/
- https://www.olivehackney.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Year-1-Geography-Oceans-of-the-World-Lesson-with-Tasks-and-Answers.pdf
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/gigantic-ocean-near-earths-core-discovered-by-scientists-read-details/articleshow/94590999.cms
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/ocean-currents-speeding-humans-warming/2021/12/03/7123d38c-52d4-11ec-8927-c396fa861a71_story.html
- https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/bcnews/science-tech-and-health/earth-environment-and-sustainability/landrigan-ocean-report.html
- https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/g210/strange-sea-animals-2/
- https://education.seattlepi.com/statistics-pollution-pacific-ocean-6027.html
- https://now.northropgrumman.com/deep-sea-exploration-will-unveil-a-vast-unexplored-world/
- https://www.luxurytraveladvisor.com/destinations/last-unexplored-places-earth
- https://mashable.com/article/deep-sea-ocean-discoveries-2022
- https://hakaimagazine.com/news/how-the-ocean-inside-the-mantle-affects-the-habitability-of-the-earth/
- https://blog.therainforestsite.greatergood.com/most-dangerous-waters/
- https://www.theverge.com/21299017/earth-seafloor-map-how-much-mapped-ocean-seabed-2030
- https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/mariana-trench-deepest-place-earth/
- https://www.greenmatters.com/p/ocean-unexplored-how-deep
- https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/beach-dangers/sea-creatures-to-avoid.html
- https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/498324-largest-sea
- https://spacequotations.com/how-much-of-space-has-been-explored/