Humans Are Weird: Why Do We Know More About Space Than The Ocean?
You've all probably heard the stories of people studying how we can colonize Mars and make it habitable.
Yet, as of 2016, only about 5% of our own planet's ocean floor had been explored. Most of that exploration was done near shore, under some of the shipping lanes, and by oil companies who wanted to do deep sea drilling. While only this little amount has been topographically mapped, NASA has thoroughly topographically mapped the Moon, Mercury, Mars, Ceres (a dwarf planet), and most of Venus.
To be fair, most of the oceans have been mapped, but only at a resolution of about 5 kilometers (which means we can "see" most features on the maps that are larger than 5 kilometers). Which is nothing compared to NASA's maps. Also, unlike planets, the ocean cannot be surveyed by radar. The water disrupts the radio waves, therefore sonar has to be used, which takes much longer and doesn't yield as accurate results.
One of the reasons NASA was able to do this was they got way more funding than NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Although that did start to change in 2017. NASA was out-pacing NOAA in press coverage, funding, and public interest. Which, when you think about it, is completely baffling and understandable at the same time. Space is this giant unknown that makes us wonder if we are alone. We have so many TV shows and movies dedicated to what else could be out there or what would happen if aliens or a giant space rock made contact with our planet. It is a compelling topic.
The ocean is also vastly unknown. We don't know what all lives in it because so little has been explored. The ocean also has a much larger impact on our lives - swimming, fishing, reshaping land masses, travel, and exploration. The fact that we know so little about the ocean floor has also inspired TV shows and movies - The Meg, Underwater, and arguably even Sharknado. If we knew more about the ocean than we would know that there are million of sharks in the waters off the United States without the survival instincts to try to swim away from a tornado!
So why do we know more about space than our own oceans?
Expensive
Ocean exploration is expensive. According to a 2018 UNESCO study, the research ship alone can cost $10,000 to $40,000 per day. Plus the personnel costs.
Then, there is the cost of the submersibles. I couldn't find an average cost for these, but they can cost millions of dollars each.
Difficult
As you can image, there are many difficulties in exploring the ocean. Some of the difficulties include:
1. High/deadly water pressure that can kill humans and destroy equipment. Once you get into Marianas Trench the pressure is about 8 tons per square inch - think 100 elephants standing on you.
2. Threats from local life such as giant squids and jellyfish or a species we haven't seen before.
3. Equipment failure is a major risk. Just a small crack can cause a submersible to fail. In 2014, after completing several ground breaking exploration missions, the Nereus, an unmanned sub built by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was sent into the Kermadec Trench off New Zealand where it imploded. It is believed that the intense water pressure was just too much. The Nereus wasn't new to intense pressure, in fact, in 2009 it successfully went to the bottom of Marianas Trench.
4. Drastic changes in water temperature depending on location. Some spots will be freezing but find yourself above a hydrothermal vent and it could be 400 degrees Celsius.
5. Finally, there is very bad/zero visibility and the light you bring usually doesn't go very far.
Boring?
Ryan Carlyle, a Subsea Hydraulics Engineer, wrote a piece for Forbes that while there are neat technologies for exploring the ocean floor, a lot of it is pretty boring. While you will see the occasional cool fish or giant squid, most of the time, this is what you are looking at:
Although, those exploring do sometimes see some really cool things, like this:
So in my research those seemed to be the main reasons we aren't exploring the ocean with the same excitement as we do space. Which leads to the question why should we explore the ocean?
Understand space
Yes, you read that right. There is life in the extreme deeps, including in some deep sea vents and areas where there is no oxygen. These situations give scientists an idea of how life may be possible, or even existing, on planets or moons, like Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.
Understand the planet
As a species, we have sent 12 people to the moon in addition to the rotation of astronauts who work at the International Space Station. How many have been to the bottom of Marianas Trench?
Three. One of those was James Cameron, yes Titanic director, James Cameron, who financed the trip himself, spending about $8 - $10 million. He took his trip in 2012. The other two were scientists who went down in the Trieste in 1960.
The ocean is an important part of our planet - it covers about 70% of the surface. Geographically speaking, we land dwellers are the minority.
The ocean influences our climate and weather - just think of hurricane season when people just hope the storm goes out to sea or over cold water to weaken it. As it warms, we get more and more hurricanes because it creates ideal conditions.
The ocean can also be devastating - fishing can be dangerous due to waves or temperature, falling through ice can be deadly, cruise ships can sink, tsunamis, etc.
Colonize?
While that would be really neat, Ryan Carlyle believes it isn't possible. The pressure would just be too great on any structures we could make.
But, you never know, maybe someday.
Carlyle, Ryan. "Why don't we spend more on exploring the oceans, rather than on space exploration?" Forbes. January 31, 2013. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/01/31/why-dont-we-spend-more-on-exploring-the-oceans-rather-than-on-space-exploration/#15ba7d022ed3
Cock-Starkey, Claire. "8 surprising facts about the deepest part of the ocean." Mental Floss. January 16, 2017. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/90796/8-surprising-facts-about-deepest-part-ocean
Copley, Jon. "Just how little do we know about the ocean floor?" The Conversation UK. October 9, 2014. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/just-how-little-do-we-know-about-the-ocean-floor/
Emerson, Sarah. "Why haven't we explored the ocean like outer space? Vice. June 18, 2016. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pgk3z9/why-havent-we-explored-the-ocean-like-outer-space
Evans, Ian. "Solving the sky-high costs of ocean exploration with A.I." News Deeply. February 9, 2018.
https://www.newsdeeply.com/oceans/community/2018/02/09/solving-the-sky-high-costs-of-ocean-exploration-with-a-i
Kershner, Kate. "Do we really know more about space than the deep ocean?" How Stuff Works. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/deep-ocean-exploration.htm
Sen Nag, Oishimaya. "How much of the ocean have we explored?" World Atlas. August 27, 2018. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-much-of-the-ocean-is-still-unexplored.html
Yet, as of 2016, only about 5% of our own planet's ocean floor had been explored. Most of that exploration was done near shore, under some of the shipping lanes, and by oil companies who wanted to do deep sea drilling. While only this little amount has been topographically mapped, NASA has thoroughly topographically mapped the Moon, Mercury, Mars, Ceres (a dwarf planet), and most of Venus.
To be fair, most of the oceans have been mapped, but only at a resolution of about 5 kilometers (which means we can "see" most features on the maps that are larger than 5 kilometers). Which is nothing compared to NASA's maps. Also, unlike planets, the ocean cannot be surveyed by radar. The water disrupts the radio waves, therefore sonar has to be used, which takes much longer and doesn't yield as accurate results.
 |
| The Orville is amazing. Great story lines and spectacular effects. I highly recommend it! (Image Credit) |
The ocean is also vastly unknown. We don't know what all lives in it because so little has been explored. The ocean also has a much larger impact on our lives - swimming, fishing, reshaping land masses, travel, and exploration. The fact that we know so little about the ocean floor has also inspired TV shows and movies - The Meg, Underwater, and arguably even Sharknado. If we knew more about the ocean than we would know that there are million of sharks in the waters off the United States without the survival instincts to try to swim away from a tornado!
So why do we know more about space than our own oceans?
Expensive
Ocean exploration is expensive. According to a 2018 UNESCO study, the research ship alone can cost $10,000 to $40,000 per day. Plus the personnel costs.
Then, there is the cost of the submersibles. I couldn't find an average cost for these, but they can cost millions of dollars each.
Difficult
As you can image, there are many difficulties in exploring the ocean. Some of the difficulties include:
1. High/deadly water pressure that can kill humans and destroy equipment. Once you get into Marianas Trench the pressure is about 8 tons per square inch - think 100 elephants standing on you.
2. Threats from local life such as giant squids and jellyfish or a species we haven't seen before.
3. Equipment failure is a major risk. Just a small crack can cause a submersible to fail. In 2014, after completing several ground breaking exploration missions, the Nereus, an unmanned sub built by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was sent into the Kermadec Trench off New Zealand where it imploded. It is believed that the intense water pressure was just too much. The Nereus wasn't new to intense pressure, in fact, in 2009 it successfully went to the bottom of Marianas Trench.
5. Finally, there is very bad/zero visibility and the light you bring usually doesn't go very far.
Boring?
Ryan Carlyle, a Subsea Hydraulics Engineer, wrote a piece for Forbes that while there are neat technologies for exploring the ocean floor, a lot of it is pretty boring. While you will see the occasional cool fish or giant squid, most of the time, this is what you are looking at:
 |
| This image is from the MBARI - Ridges 2005 Expedition. |
Although, those exploring do sometimes see some really cool things, like this:
Understand space
Yes, you read that right. There is life in the extreme deeps, including in some deep sea vents and areas where there is no oxygen. These situations give scientists an idea of how life may be possible, or even existing, on planets or moons, like Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.
Understand the planet
As a species, we have sent 12 people to the moon in addition to the rotation of astronauts who work at the International Space Station. How many have been to the bottom of Marianas Trench?
Three. One of those was James Cameron, yes Titanic director, James Cameron, who financed the trip himself, spending about $8 - $10 million. He took his trip in 2012. The other two were scientists who went down in the Trieste in 1960.
The ocean is an important part of our planet - it covers about 70% of the surface. Geographically speaking, we land dwellers are the minority.
The ocean influences our climate and weather - just think of hurricane season when people just hope the storm goes out to sea or over cold water to weaken it. As it warms, we get more and more hurricanes because it creates ideal conditions.
The ocean can also be devastating - fishing can be dangerous due to waves or temperature, falling through ice can be deadly, cruise ships can sink, tsunamis, etc.
Colonize?
While that would be really neat, Ryan Carlyle believes it isn't possible. The pressure would just be too great on any structures we could make.
But, you never know, maybe someday.
Carlyle, Ryan. "Why don't we spend more on exploring the oceans, rather than on space exploration?" Forbes. January 31, 2013. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/01/31/why-dont-we-spend-more-on-exploring-the-oceans-rather-than-on-space-exploration/#15ba7d022ed3
Cock-Starkey, Claire. "8 surprising facts about the deepest part of the ocean." Mental Floss. January 16, 2017. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/90796/8-surprising-facts-about-deepest-part-ocean
Copley, Jon. "Just how little do we know about the ocean floor?" The Conversation UK. October 9, 2014. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/just-how-little-do-we-know-about-the-ocean-floor/
Emerson, Sarah. "Why haven't we explored the ocean like outer space? Vice. June 18, 2016. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pgk3z9/why-havent-we-explored-the-ocean-like-outer-space
Evans, Ian. "Solving the sky-high costs of ocean exploration with A.I." News Deeply. February 9, 2018.
https://www.newsdeeply.com/oceans/community/2018/02/09/solving-the-sky-high-costs-of-ocean-exploration-with-a-i
Kershner, Kate. "Do we really know more about space than the deep ocean?" How Stuff Works. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/deep-ocean-exploration.htm
Sen Nag, Oishimaya. "How much of the ocean have we explored?" World Atlas. August 27, 2018. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-much-of-the-ocean-is-still-unexplored.html
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