The Exploration of the Oceans

Even though more than 1,300 people have successfully climbed Mt. Everest, more than 300 women and men have travelled into space, and 12 men have even walked on the moon, only 2 people ¹ have dived to the deepest part of the ocean, spending less than 30 minutes on the bottom (Committee on Exploration of the Seas 2003). Scientific knowledge expands everyday and technology improves—more or less—in accordance to Moore’s law. ² However, human understanding of the dynamics of marine ecosystems is still very limited. The causes of relevant regional and global climatic phenomena are far from being thoroughly understood and consequently it is still impossible to accurately forecast natural catastrophes. Various forms of renewable energies from the ocean cannot be exploited yet because of lack of proper technology. Especially the technological apparatus to explore marine resources of the deepest parts of the ocean is still in its infancy. Oceanographers often argue that we know more about the surface of the moon than about the ocean floor in order to emphasize the need to develop marine research.