Science Spotlight: The Wonders Beneath – Exploring Our Oceans

Scuba Diver exploring the ocean

What do you think is more mysterious, space or the ocean? Nine times out of ten, people say space. In actuality, we know less about the oceans than we do about space.

In fact, humans have only explored 5% of the ocean! Why? There are many challenges to ocean exploration, and arguably, it’s harder to explore the oceans than it is to explore space. Here are the main reasons:

• The Intense Pressures of the Deep Ocean: Pressure increases dramatically as you descend. For every 10 meters, there’s an additional 6.47 kg (14.27 pounds) of added pressure, which is roughly equal to 1 atm of pressure. The Mariana Trench, the lowest point in the ocean (at least that we know of), has a pressure of 1070 atm. This means that the pressure at the trench is 1070 times the pressure we face at sea level.

  
  

• Zero Visibility: Sunlight only penetrates the top layer of the ocean. As a result, most of the ocean past 200 meters (the twilight zone) remains in total darkness. Underwater vehicles have to rely on artificial lights, which makes it harder to map large areas. Additionally, the ocean is extremely murky, filled with underwater sediment.

  
  

• Cold Temperatures: As you descend deeper into the ocean, the temperature also decreases drastically. Most of the ocean stays just above freezing, making long-term exploration difficult.

  
  

The Significance of Ocean Exploration

But why should we explore the ocean in the first place? Well, exploration helps us understand the ocean—and in turn, our planet—a bit better. But there are other reasons for exploring the ocean besides mere curiosity:

• Climate Change Mitigation: The ocean is a key player in mitigating climate change as it stores a large part of the CO₂ that humans produce. Thanks to the vast size of the ocean, the problem is at least manageable for now. Furthering our understanding of the deep ocean can help regulate Earth’s climate.

  • Understanding the Carbon Cycle: Certain marine organisms, like phytoplankton, absorb CO₂ during photosynthesis. Mapping these ecosystems can help us protect and enhance their carbon absorption capabilities.

  • Climate-Resilient Ecosystems: Protecting coastlines from storm surges and rising sea levels is vital. Preserving and restoring such ecosystems is key to mitigating climate change.

    
    

• New Renewable Energy Sources

  • Offshore Wind Potential: Mapping the seabed helps in placing wind farms in optimal locations.

  • Wave and Tidal Energy: Understanding ocean currents enables efficient harvesting of renewable energy.

  • Advanced Climate Models: Studying ocean currents and temperature changes helps refine climate prediction models. Exploring uncharted areas adds to global climate models, ensuring they are comprehensive.

    
    

• Understanding and Preserving Biodiversity: Ocean exploration is crucial for understanding and preserving biodiversity, vital for the health of marine ecosystems and their ability to support life on Earth, including humans. Here's how ocean exploration contributes:

  • Discovering New Species and Habitats: Exploring deep-sea vents, trenches, and seamounts reveals unique species adapted to extreme conditions, enhancing our understanding of life’s resilience.

  • Mapping Critical Marine Ecosystem: Coral reefs, which host 25% of marine species, are under threat from warming waters, acidification, and pollution. Mapping and monitoring reefs allow targeted conservation efforts. Seagrass meadows and mangroves support marine biodiversity, act as carbon sinks, and protect coastlines. Exploration helps identify areas needing protection or restoration.

  • Monitoring Biodiversity Health: Exploration provides data on species populations and their changes over time, offering early warnings of declines or extinctions. Understanding how species interact helps predict how disruptions, like overfishing or habitat destruction, affect biodiversity.

  • Identifying Biodiversity Hotspots: Exploration pinpoints regions with exceptionally high biodiversity, such as the Coral Triangle or hydrothermal vent ecosystems. These areas can become priorities for conservation initiatives.

  • Addressing Threats to Biodiversity: Climate change, overfishing, and pollution threaten marine life. Exploration aids in understanding how rising temperatures, acidification, and deoxygenation affect marine species. Documenting the spread of plastic pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction allows for targeted mitigation efforts.

    
    

• Medical Advancements: Ocean exploration has contributed to medical advancements by uncovering new organisms, compounds, and biological processes with potential health applications. Marine life holds immense promise for developing novel treatments and therapies.

  • Marine-Derived Drugs: Many marine organisms produce unique chemical compounds to survive in extreme environments. These compounds are being used to create medicines for various diseases, including anticancer agents and antibiotics.

  • Innovations in Pain Management: Certain peptides from cone snails have been developed into painkillers that are more potent than morphine but without addiction risks.

  • Regenerative Medicine: Organisms like starfish and sea cucumbers, which can regenerate limbs and tissues, provide insights into regenerative therapies for humans.

  • Biomaterials: Marine sponges and jellyfish are sources of biocompatible materials used in wound dressings, skin grafts, and tissue engineering. Shark skin's unique structure has inspired antimicrobial surfaces for medical tools.

    
    

• Natural Disaster Preparedness: Ocean exploration enhances natural disaster preparedness by providing valuable insights into how oceans interact with Earth’s geophysical systems. By understanding these processes, we can improve early warning systems, reduce disaster impacts, and strengthen resilience.

  • Tsunami Prediction and Monitoring: Mapping underwater fault lines, subduction zones, and volcanoes helps identify areas prone to tsunamis. Instruments like DART (Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) detect changes in water pressure caused by seismic activity, allowing early warnings.

  • Hurricane and Cyclone Forecasting: Ocean temperature monitoring helps track sea surface temperatures and predict storm formation and intensity. Understanding currents like the Gulf Stream allows better predictions of storm paths.

  • Earthquake Preparedness: Exploration of underwater faults and plate boundaries helps scientists understand earthquake risks. Monitoring shifts in tectonic plates can provide early warnings for regions at risk.

    
    

Technological Advances in Ocean Exploration

While it may seem that we are doing nothing to explore the oceans, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Scientists are constantly developing new technologies to better explore our oceans.

One notable technology is the AUV, or automated underwater vehicle. These vehicles help map the ocean column and sea floor with no human guidance. Another example is the ROV, or remotely operated vehicle, which is controlled by remotes on the surface.

Submersibles and underwater drones are revolutionizing how we interact with and understand the ocean. These technologies allow us to explore vast and unexplored regions of the ocean with greater efficiency and precision, unlocking valuable data about marine ecosystems and geological features. By enhancing our understanding of the deep sea, we can develop better strategies for conservation, improve disaster response, and push the boundaries of scientific innovation.

Moreover, submersibles and drones enable global collaboration on marine research, as the data collected can be shared across borders to tackle shared environmental issues like ocean pollution, acidification, and rising sea levels. As these technologies continue to advance, the potential for even more profound discoveries and solutions grows, making them essential tools in the fight for a sustainable and resilient planet.

Satellite imagery plays a crucial role in tracking oceanic trends, offering a comprehensive view of large areas and collecting critical data on sea surface temperatures, ocean color, and sea level rise. By monitoring changes in ocean temperature, scientists can detect shifts related to climate change, such as the warming of oceans and the onset of phenomena like El Niño and La Niña. Satellites also measure the health of marine ecosystems, including the presence and activity of phytoplankton, which are vital for carbon absorption and oxygen production. Additionally, satellites provide real-time data on pollution events, such as oil spills or large debris, allowing for faster response and mitigation.

Conservation Efforts and the Need for Awareness

Unfortunately, while the ocean is an unrivaled source of knowledge, there are numerous threats. Climate change is causing rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and more frequent storms, harming marine ecosystems like coral reefs. Pollution, including plastics, chemicals, and oil spills, is contaminating the ocean, impacting marine life and ecosystems.

Overfishing is depleting fish populations and disrupting the balance of marine food chains. Habitat destruction, especially from activities like bottom trawling and coastal development, is damaging critical ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs. These threats combined are accelerating the degradation of ocean health and pose a serious risk to biodiversity and global climate stability.

In addition to the direct threats of overfishing and pollution, human-induced climate change is exacerbating the challenges facing marine ecosystems. Rising sea temperatures due to global warming lead to coral bleaching, where stressed corals expel the algae that provide them with nutrients, causing widespread coral death. Ocean acidification, driven by increased carbon dioxide emissions, weakens the shells of marine organisms like mollusks and crustaceans, affecting entire marine food chains.

Furthermore, invasive species, often introduced through human activities like shipping or aquaculture, can disrupt local ecosystems by outcompeting native species for resources. This disrupts the natural balance and often results in the decline of indigenous marine populations.

As human activity continues to influence the oceans, it is crucial to implement more sustainable practices and policies to mitigate these impacts and protect the health of marine ecosystems for future generations.

Conservation initiatives are vital for the future of our ocean. Oceans regulate the climate, produce oxygen, and provide food and livelihoods for millions of people. Protecting marine life helps sustain these essential services and ensures the resilience of ecosystems in the face of climate change, pollution, and overfishing.

Programs like Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) offer sanctuary to vulnerable species and ecosystems. Additionally, efforts to reduce plastic waste, prevent overfishing, and restore coral reefs are gaining momentum worldwide. These conservation efforts rely on scientific exploration, as monitoring the health of marine ecosystems informs the creation of targeted protection strategies.

Final Thoughts

In the end, while we are still far from fully understanding the depths of the ocean, the knowledge and advancements we’ve made so far are transforming our perspective. With the development of new technology and continued collaboration across scientific disciplines, we can make strides toward not only exploring but also protecting the ocean, securing its future for generations to come.