Only 0.001% of the deep seafloor visually observed in 70 years is roughly equivalent to the area of ​​Rhode Island.

A study published today in Science Advances found that researchers from the Ocean Discovery League reveal that only a small percentage of the deep seabed is imaged. Despite covering 66% of the Earth’s surface, the deep sea remains largely unexplored.

The study, “Leah, we’ve seen: Estimating visual coverage of the deep sea floor,” is the first to document humans observe less than 0.001% of the deep sea floor in decades of deep sea exploration. This total area is roughly the size of Rhode Island or one-tenth of Belgium.

Deep oceans are defined as over 200 meters, and play an important role in maintaining diverse ecosystems and providing important services such as oxygen production, climate regulation, and the discovery of important medicines, and maintaining the health of the planet.

However, despite its importance, research into this immeasurable ecosystem is severely limited, with visual research focusing primarily on several regions and countries. Visual imaging is one of the most important methods for studying deep seafloors, and along with mapping and sampling, it is one of the three key pillars of ocean exploration.

“In the face of accelerated threats to deep seas, from climate change to potential mining and resource exploitation, this limited investigation of such vast regions is a critical issue for both science and policy.”

“We need to better understand deep ocean ecosystems and processes to make informed decisions about resource management and conservation.”

Using data from around 44,000 deep-sea diving with observations made in 120 waters since 1958, this study is the most comprehensive global estimate of deep-sea observations to date, highlighting the imbalances of global exploration efforts.

Given that not all diving records are public, researchers argue that less than a hundredth of percent of the seafloor have visual records, even if these estimates are completely off by a few orders of magnitude. Furthermore, almost 30% of documented visual observations were conducted prior to 1980, often resulting in only black and white low resolution images.

Surprisingly, over 65% of visual observations occur within 200 nautical miles of just three countries: the US, Japan and New Zealand.

Due to the high cost of ocean exploration, only a handful of countries dominate deep-sea exploration, with five countries, the US, Japan, New Zealand, France and Germany, serving 97% of all deep-sea submersion observations. This bias in geographic coverage and operator representation makes the marine community based much of the characterization of deep ocean ecosystems on this incredibly small and representative sample.

This study also highlights knowledge gaps regarding seabed habitats. Specific topographical features such as canyons and ridges were the focus of important research, but vast areas including the Abyssal plain and the captain remained unexposed.

These findings highlight the urgent need for a more comprehensive and global effort to explore the deep seas, ensuring that scientific research and conservation efforts accurately reflect the true scope of the seabed.

As mentioned in this study, if the scientific community makes all assumptions about terrestrial ecosystems from observations of only 0.001% of its total area, they are based on an assessment of all land life on Earth in an area of ​​the size of Houston, Texas.

To address these challenges, researchers are calling for expanding exploration efforts and using new technologies to increase access to the deep sea. Advances in smaller, more affordable deep sea tools have the opportunity to broaden the scope of the scientific community, including low- and middle-income countries in ocean exploration and research.

“There are so many of our oceans that remain a mystery,” says Dr. Ian Miller, Chief Science and Innovation Officer at the National Geographic Association.

“Deep sea exploration led by scientists and communities is important to a better understanding of the planet’s biggest ecosystem. Dr. Bell’s goal of equipping global coastal communities with cutting-edge research and technology ensures a more representative analysis of the deep sea.

This study represents the key steps to understanding the gaps in ocean exploration and the need for a comprehensive global strategy to ensure deep sea protection and sustainable management. The author hopes that these discoveries will encourage more scientific collaboration and provide a deeper understanding of the most important ecosystems of our planet.