How little we’ve seen: A visual coverage estimate of the deep seafloor
Bell, K.L.C.; Johannes, K.N.; Kennedy, B.R.C.; Poulton, S.E. (2025). How little we’ve seen: A visual coverage estimate of the deep seafloor. Science Advances 11(19): eadp8602. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp8602
In: Science Advances. AAAS: New York. ISSN 2375-2548; e-ISSN 2375-2548, meer
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| Auteurs | | Top |
- Bell, K.L.C.
- Johannes, K.N.
- Kennedy, B.R.C.
- Poulton, S.E.
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| Abstract |
Despite the importance of visual observation in the ocean, we have imaged a minuscule fraction of the deep seafloor. Sixty-six percent of the entire planet is deep ocean (≥200 m), and our data show that we have visually observed less than 0.001%, a total area approximately a tenth of the size of Belgium. Data gathered from approximately 44,000 deep-sea dives indicate that we have also seen an incredibly biased sample. Sixty-five percent of all in situ visual seafloor observations in our dataset were within 200 nm of only three countries: the United States, Japan, and New Zealand. Ninety-seven percent of all dives we compiled have been conducted by just five countries: the United States, Japan, New Zealand, France, and Germany. This small and biased sample is problematic when attempting to characterize, understand, and manage a global ocean. |
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