Have you ever looked at a photograph of the Moon and thought how absurd it is that we know more about a satellite 384.000 kilometers away from us than what is under our feet? This is not a provocation: a study published a few days ago on Science Advances revealed a very sobering fact. In 67 years of underwater exploration, humanity has visually observed just 0,001% of the ocean floor.
An area roughly the size of Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US. The ocean floor represent 66% of the Earth's surface, yet our direct knowledge of this underwater world is practically non-existent.
The (incomplete) map of the abyss
The situation is paradoxical, if you think about it. We have detailed maps of the surface of Mars, we have photographed the Moon in every crater, but when it comes to exploring what covers two-thirds of our planet, we are in the dark. Literally. According to data collected by the Ocean Discovery League, the total area of the ocean floor directly observed by humans is equivalent to about a tenth of the size of Belgium. A ridiculous portion compared to the immensity of the oceans.
Don't get me wrong: there are maps of the seabed created with technologies such as sonar, but direct observation, the kind that allows us to actually see what's down there, it is very limited. Mapping through sound waves gives us a general view of the morphology, but it is like saying you know a forest by looking at it from above without ever going down to see what plants or animals inhabit it.
Ocean Floors, the Numbers of Abysmal Ignorance
When we talk about backdrops oceanic, we are talking about everything that is found beyond 200 meters of depth, where the sunlight begins to disappear rapidly and the waters become cold and dark. This area represents, as mentioned, two thirds of our planet.
Most worrying is the time perspective: according to the researchers' calculations, even if we were to dramatically increase our exploration efforts, deploying 1.000 exploration platforms around the world, It would still take about 100.000 years to visually explore the entire ocean floor. An absurd time that makes us understand how far behind we are in this exploration.
The question of resources
Ignorance about the ocean floor is not just unsatisfied scientific curiosity. It has enormous implications. The sea floor hides mineral resources of inestimable value: polymetallic nodules rich in iron, copper, nickel, cobalt e manganese; cobalt crusts on the underwater mountains; hydrothermal vents with polymetallic sulfides and much more. Resources that could be fundamental for the technologies of the future.
But how can we think of exploiting these resources (perhaps completely overturning the delicate ecosystems of those areas) when we know so little about the environment in which they live? It would be like walking blindfolded into an unfamiliar room and starting to pick up objects at random.
“How can we manage and protect what we don’t fully understand?”
This question from the Ocean Discovery League sums up the problem perfectly.
The Geographic Bias of Exploration
In addition to the paucity of observations, there is also a problem of representativeness. Most underwater exploration has been concentrated in the territorial waters of a very few rich countries. According to the study, 97% of all dives since 1958 have been conducted by just five countries: United States, Japan, New Zealand, France e Germany.
This geographic concentration means that our already limited knowledge is also highly unbalanced. Imagine knowing only a few streets in a large city and trying to describe its entire urban fabric. That's exactly what we're doing with the oceans.
Ocean Floors, A Matter of Priorities
Why this disparity between space and ocean exploration? The answer is complex and involves economic, technological, and even psychological factors. Space missions capture the collective imagination more effectively than deep-sea exploration. Furthermore, exploring space, while difficult, presents fewer immediate challenges than the deep ocean, where extreme pressures require very specific technologies.
By 2025, there are only about ten submersibles certified for deep-sea travel, while we see thousands of space launches every year.
The fact is, the ocean doesn't wait. While we debate its exploration, it continues to change, influenced by global warming, acidification, and human exploitation. And we continue to make decisions about it based on fragmented and inadequate knowledge.
The question we should be asking is not “why explore more?” but “how can we afford not to?”
