There is more to know about the oceans than just that they are providing us with beautiful reefs and other fantastic dive spots. They are also the single most important factor in defining the climate on earth.

Our Oceans

Over 70% of our planet is covered with oceans. The deepest parts of those oceans are more than 11 kilometres deep. There have been more astronauts in outer space and on the moon than there have been people below 1 kilometre deep in the ocean.

Submarines

New technologies are used to try and let manned and unmanned submarines travel deeper and deeper into our oceans. Despite that, it will take many more years before any vessel will  reach the the deepest point.

Every year, scientists discover new mountains and other previously unknown geographical features on the ocean floor.  Since there has never been any human being in more than half of the vast space that the oceans cover, there is a lot we don’t know about oceans.

Diversity of marine life

Every year, an average of 2000 to 3000 new species of marine plants and animals are discovered. Sometimes these include new, unprecedented life forms. These new species can teach us more about life on our planet, can perhaps provide medicines for incurable diseases and can tell us more about our climate.

For example, a microscopically small species of krill might be only a micrometer in size, but the total number of this species does filter 90% of CO2 gas out of the air. Understanding more about these species and how they live will help us to find new ways to keep our planet healthy.

Research

All these facts are here to give you an idea about how little we actually know about our oceans and how much there is out there to be discovered. It is therefore very important that a lot of research will be done, in order to increase our knowledge about the oceans, our climate and the impact of and influence on climate change.

When we find out more about our oceans, we can take better care of them and the rest of our planet.

Map ocean floors

Efforts are also made to map the ocean floors. This cannot be done with satellites, since water absorbs all light. It is done by using sound waves. This has the additional risk of sound pollution, which can effect mammals that rely on echolocation and sound-communication, such as dolphins and whales.