Learn why the deepest regions of the oceans must be preserved

Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes

If intelligent life in outer space is still far from being known, it is equally true when mentioning the depth of the oceans. It is at the heart of Earth’s climate system by regulating currents and storing the carbon that might otherwise cause global heating. Read more.

Human beings still do not know ocean depths beyond 3 miles!

Carbon is stored in rocks, the atmosphere, soils and plants – and the ocean. It is incorporated in marine sediments as the organisms die and sink to the seabed.

According to Oceana, more than 80% of most of the oceans remain unexplored. One of the obstacles is the limited detection capability of radars in order to reach the ocean's sites known as "hadal zones" or abyssal fossae (more than 3.7 miles deep).

The deepest place on Earth is known as "Challenger Deep", located at the southern of the Mariana Trench, 35,876 feet deep.

Some scientists do not believe that living species can live in abyssal regions, due to the lack of sunlight

Since light doesn't reach the abyssal sea regions, some oceanographers believe most known species cannot survive there.

They allege that with no light at all, photosynthesis - when plants, algae, and some marine bacteria convert the sun's energy into sugar that feeds them - does not occur, and life can't pop up. On the other hand, some believe differently. Their point is that organisms from those dark places, do survive by absorbing dead organic matter, like animal carcasses, feces, and other organic residues that come from the surface.

Yes, Sir, life is possible in the deepest abyssal marine places!

Because of the "Remotely Operated Vehicle," known as ROV, unexplored regions of the oceans are being discovered

Most ROVs operate for hydrographic applications, such as:

object identification (for submerged navigation hazards).
vessel hull inspections.
to substitute divers for their safety (due to the high undersea high pressures).

The U.S. space agency, NASA, in partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, has recently begun a first-of-its-kind expedition to explore marine regions that humans have yet to reach.

The ROV operates along the same lines as space exploration.

According to one of the team members, NASA oceanographer Dr. Gene Feldman, "the obstacles to exploration in abyssal sites are very similar to those found in the space environment, namely zero visibility, extremely low temperatures, and enormous pressure.".

Finding new forms of life, fauna, and flora

Scientists assume there may be more species in the deep ocean than in any other environments on Earth combined. By some estimates, more than 100 million species may live there (WWF.).

Another focus of exploration in the abyssal marine biome is the maintenance of its sustainability since pollution from the surface also affects these regions due to human irresponsibility that still prevails in these places as well.

Dirt that ruins the marine ecosystem

Expeditions into the deep underwater will be critical to prevent or reduce the excess dirt (various debris, chemical residues, and plastic) that "sails" on the surface of the sea, or submerges to places from where it can hardly be collected.

A vortex of dirt in the middle of the ocean!

A result of human irresponsibility is in the Pacific Ocean, where a vortex known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is destroying marine ecosystems!

That huge man-made waste covers 1.6 million km2 and accumulates more than 80,000 tons of plastic and other waste that destroy the local marine biome. The seafloor beneath it may also be an underwater trash heap. Ecologists recently discovered that about 70 percent of marine debris actually sinks to the bottom of the ocean.

Ocean is a resilient organism, after all.

A study proves this very premise. Journal nature developed a study known as "Rebuilding Marine Life" that shows the incredible resilience of the oceans when dealing with their losses. Besides, scientists, environmentalists, and volunteers are already contributing to diminishing the issues.

Outlooks estimate that oceans might be all cleaned up by 2050.

Ocean’s economy-generated is valued at around $2.5 trillion per year, making them the seventh-largest economy in the world. So the oceans support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, create jobs, and serve as the basis for the fishing, tourism, and shipping industries..

What if the unknown species living in the deep sea are hostile?

Many legends and folklore are common when it comes to the possible beings that might live in the sea regions humans are not yet familiar with.

Of course, for now, it is all still speculation, even though there is scientific evidence that plants are sentient beings The same probability may happen to fungi since it's been proved that they can communicate with humans.

The bottomline

As long as predatory exploitation persists without effective surveillance in the planet’s seas, the marine biome will be at risk. The same started to happen regarding the new era of space exploration which turns into space tourism. After understanding of the deepest places of the oceans may trigger a new vision that will expand their spectrum of protection of them. In short, preserving the marine biome might reverberate in the terrestrial environment.

The fact is abyssal sea regions and deep space are similar in terms of the environment. Both of them are still unknown and need to be well explored by an explorer of goodwill for the benefit of humanity. In other words, a new era of space and sea exploration is just at its dawn. May humans succeed on both adventures!