Why are the Oceans so Unexplored?
Everyone has heard the scary fact that humans know more about the Milky Way Galaxy than about the Oceans. With only around 5% of it being explored, the oceans are still the most mysterious part of the Earth and we find around 2,000 new species there every year. In fact, scientists believe that two-thirds of existing marine species are still unknown. This all begs the question, why do we know so little about the Oceans?
One of the biggest challenges of mapping the oceans is due to the concept of pressure. The further someone goes up in height, the less atmospheric pressure they experience. This results in bodily tissues expanding as the pressure drops. The opposite is true when one descends in height. Pressure increases when objects move deeper and deeper, resulting in them contracting greatly. This is a big issue because it limits the depth humans can travel and even sets limits on the depth that mapping technology can go. Additionally, the technology and planning needed to map the oceans is costly and limits the amount of mapping that can be done. Fuel alone can cost up to 40,000 dollars a day for one boat. The truth is, humans are not even close to currently being able to overcome these challenges. If that remains true, we will never fully understand the world’s oceans.
Source:
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/explored.html
