Ocean Map : how well do we know our seabeds? Better than Mars?

News is an important part of our lives. Few of us start the day with the newspaper while a few choose to catch up the daily bulletins on the TV during evening ours. Many choose to have news apps on their phone which brings them the news almost instantly as it is out.

Hello, I am back after a long break (or sabbatical should I say!!) and this blog post is not about the various ways to get the news or habits about the news. This is about one recent news in particular.

Most of the news in recent days touched primarily three topics: Covid-19, Demise of a talented actor who’s gone too soon (RIP SSR ☹) and the border situation between India and China.

While none of these is positive news, there was one news in middle of all this, which drew my attention and awakened the curiosity bug: “One-fifth of Earth's ocean floor is now mapped.” Well, what does it really mean? Why do we need to map the ocean floor? Let us dive in to know more details and find these answers.

life at the sea bed

What is Ocean mapping?

Ocean mapping, also called seafloor mapping or seabed mapping, is the process of measuring the depth and ‘topography’ of the ocean at different places. While researches have made it easier than it was earlier, it remains a very difficult task. Technical term for measuring the depth of the sea is Bathymetry.

Why do we need to map the oceans?

Knowing the ocean map helps scientists know better about the specific life forms that live in an area of the ocean, know about fish species and areas they prefer to breed, coral reef systems present and favorable conditions to protect them (Here is an old post about coral reef). It even reveals critical information about climate change and sea currents. Long story short, knowledge is power, and the man continues to seek it.

A school of fish in the sea

Methods used and history of ocean mapping

There are various methods in use for ocean mapping. They range from use of satellites to aerial photography and Laser. While the man got curious about mapping the sea bed at the beginning of the 20^th century, it was not an easy task back then(not that it is easy today 😊) . Initially, it was done by sending the sound waves through the sea. But the results were not very accurate. In 1957, Marie Tharp and Bruce Charles created first 3D map of the ocean bed. Around the same time, computers were developed which gave great computational capabilities to the scientists and the researches gained momentum. Using the computers, first digital map of the world’s oceans was created in 1970. Later even better images could be captured using satellite imaging with spectral sensors.

Further improvement to the quality of images and accuracy of data was achieved with use of Laser based systems that use the laser beam and its reflection off the sea bed to measure the depth and image the topography of the surface.

Scientist are making great progress on mapping the entire sea bed as part of Seabed 2030 project. The news that I referred in the beginning states that scientist have now mapped 20% of the oceans of the earth. Talking just in terms of percent of surface mapped, we know more about Mars (about 90 percent of mars has been mapped with help of the images from various Mars projects across nations) than the ocean bed on the earth. May this gives you an idea of how difficult it is to map the ocean bed and how much does this milestone mean.

Nerd Note 1: The word bathymetry is derived from Greek word Bathus, meaning deep.

Nerd Note 2: The project Seabed 2030 is managed and driven by The Nippon Foundation – GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans), which is an intergovernmental body and the only body working towards ocean mapping currently. In 2019, under GEBCO’s leadership, 14.5 million sq kilometres of seabed was added to the ocean bed. How much is that? Around twice the size of Australia.

Nerd Note 3: The news of 20 percent of ocean has been mapped was made public on June 21^st. it was no random day, but the World Hydrography Day.

Nerd Note 4: The Mariana Trench in the Pacific is the deepest ocean location on Earth. It is very well mapped too.

The news gave me a positive feeling and reassured that come what may, humans continue to conquer and seek. There is a lot that we know and even more that we don’t. And this constant quest of knowing more keeps us going and makes the world a better place.

Wittyscribble urges its readers to stay positive during these testing times and keep learning. Stay safe, follow the recommendations and keep smiling. Even behind the mask, the smile works wonders. 😊

And as always, thanks for reading.

Ayush!!!