Oceanographer Katherine Bell's team revealed that scientists have explored less than 0.001% of the deep seafloor, equivalent to about one-tenth of Belgium's size. They analyzed 44,000 deep-sea dives, which primarily focused on areas near the US, Japan, and New Zealand. A considerable amount of dive data is owned by private companies, limiting access for research. Much of the seafloor remains mapped only through rough sonar tools. To address this, Bell's Ocean Discovery League aims to develop affordable exploration vehicles and identify 10,000 potential deep-dive sites for future exploration.
It is a common refrain that we know more about the surface of Mars than the bottom of the oceans.
Less than 0.001% of the deep seafloor has been explored, equivalent to an area about one-tenth the size of Belgium.
The Indian Ocean is one of the least explored areas.
Bell aims to compile a list of 10,000 potential deep-dive sites to sample unexplored abyss.
Collection
[
|
...
]