Does the ocean really have a bottom?
At 35,814 feet below sea level, its bottom is called the Challenger Deep — the deepest point known on Earth. In fact, to put it into perspective, think about the Titanic, which was found 12,600 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean — nearly 2.4 miles down.
In fact, most of the waters remain unexplored, uncharted and unseen by our eyes. It might be shocking to find out, but only 5% of the ocean has been explored and charted by humans. The rest, especially its depths, are still unknown.
But satellites can use radar to measure the height of the sea's surface very accurately. And if there are enough measurements to subtract the effects of waves and tides, satellites can actually measure bumps and dips in the sea surface that result from the underlying landscape of the ocean floor.
“The intense pressures in the deep ocean make it an extremely difficult environment to explore.” Although you don't notice it, the pressure of the air pushing down on your body at sea level is about 15 pounds per square inch. If you went up into space, above the Earth's atmosphere, the pressure would decrease to zero.
The ocean floor is called the abyssal plain. Below the ocean floor, there are a few small deeper areas called ocean trenches. Features rising up from the ocean floor include seamounts, volcanic islands and the mid-oceanic ridges and rises.
Dead bodies in the water usually tend to sink at first, but later they tend to float, as the post-mortem changes brought on by putrefaction produce enough gases to make them buoyant.
Global warming has already doubled or tripled the odds of extreme high water events over widespread areas of the U.S. coast. Widespread areas are likely to see storm surges on top of sea level rise reaching at least 4 feet above high tide by 2030, and 5 feet by 2050.
The next in danger of submerging include communities with beachfront properties and land under 5 feet above sea level in Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. The whole of the nation's seaboard will experience a leap in sea level by 2050 that will triple that of the rise in the last century.
By 2050, sea level along contiguous U.S. coastlines could rise as much as 12 inches (30 centimeters) above today's waterline, according to researchers who analyzed nearly three decades of satellite observations.
More than 80 percent of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans. A far greater percentage of the surfaces of the moon and the planet Mars has been mapped and studied than of our own ocean floor. Although there is much more to learn, oceanographers have already made some amazing discoveries.
Is most of the ocean empty?
The oceans cover 70% of the world's surface, and despite what you have seen on nature documentaries, most of the ocean is empty, dark, cold, and void of mammalian life. However, unlike the land, the ocean exists in three dimensions.
Vescovo's trip to the Challenger Deep, at the southern end of the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, back in May, was said to be the deepest manned sea dive ever recorded, at 10,927 meters (35,853 feet).
Some features of the seabed include flat abyssal plains, mid-ocean ridges, deep trenches, and hydrothermal vents. Seabed topography is flat where layers of sediments cover the tectonic features. For example, the abyssal plain regions of the ocean are relatively flat and covered in many layers of sediments.
Putrefaction and scavenging creatures will dismember the corpse in a week or two and the bones will sink to the seabed. There they may be slowly buried by marine silt or broken down further over months or years, depending on the acidity of the water.
An expedition to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Antarctica revealed a shocking surprise, as detailed in a January 2022 study in Current Biology. Scientists discovered 60 million icefish nests covering an area the size of a small city.
Light may be detected as far as 1,000 meters down in the ocean, but there is rarely any significant light beyond 200 meters. The ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level.
A study carried out by researchers at Australia's first 'body farm' also found that corpses can move during the decay process. And it's more than just a twitch. They found that movement occurred in all limbs after death, including in the advanced decomposition stages.
In average conditions most people would be able to tread water for up to a maximum of two to three hours – however, if you're properly trained in the technique this can increase to over eight hours.
Most humans hit negative buoyancy around 30 feet down.
Historical and Projected Temperature Trends in Florida
In the next 20 years, average summer temperatures are projected to rise above 83°F under both moderate and high emissions scenarios.
How hot will the Earth be in 2030?
AUnderstanding Global Warming of 1.5°C*
warming above pre-industrial levels, with a likely range of 0.8°C to 1.2°C. Global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate.
Michigan, says globalization expert. A new book examining the forces shaping the future of global migration forecasts Michigan as the best place in the world to live in 2050.
Minnesota
Minnesota is one of the best states to move to avoid climate change. By 2050, only six days per year are expected to be dangerously hot. That's 15 times fewer dangerous heat days than are expected in the state of Mississippi!
As global warming continues at an unprecedented pace, scientists around the world are being forced to adjust their forecasts.
on the other hand, numerous and heavily populated sinking cities like mumbai, shanghai, nyc, and miami are at risk. 'with a population of 10 million, jakarta is considered by some to be the fastest-sinking city in the world and is projected to be entirely underwater by 2050.
It found that an estimated 4.3 million acres — an area nearly the size of Connecticut — will be underwater by 2050, including $35 billion worth of real estate.
Experts say that by 2050 there may be more plastic than fish in the sea, or perhaps only plastic left. Others say 90% of our coral reefs may be dead, waves of mass marine extinction may be unleashed, and our seas may be left overheated, acidified and lacking oxygen.
But in our best-case scenarios, oceans are on track to rise 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 metres) by 2100. Even a sea-level rise below 3 feet (0.9 metres) could displace up to 4 million people. Oceans not only will have less ice at the poles, but they will also continue to acidify in the tropics.
The Great Blue Hole, Belize
This massive ocean hole that is 984 feet wide and 410 feet deep is not only the world's deepest underwater sinkhole, but it is also one of the most dangerous.
According to numerous studies consulted by Forbes, the oceans hold around 20 million tons of gold. That would mean that the value of the massive underwater treasure - if we take into consideration that in August 2021 one gram of gold is quoted at $ 57.39 - would be 1,147 trillion dollars.
What lives in the deepest part of the ocean?
The three most common organisms at the bottom of the Mariana Trench are xenophyophores, amphipods and small sea cucumbers (holothurians), Gallo said. "These are some of the deepest holothurians ever observed, and they were relatively abundant," Gallo said.
While the oceans aren't in danger of drying out in the near future, the animation is reminiscent of what the Earth may eventually look like, if CO 2 levels continue to rise. High atmospheric CO 2 in the range of 4,500 to 6,000 parts per million could lead to the evaporation of the Earth's ocean over time.
No more fish
The world's oceans could be virtually emptied for fish by 2048. A study shows that if nothing changes, we will run out of seafood in 2048. If we want to preserve the ecosystems of the sea, change is needed.
Since then, we've explored just 10% of our oceans' contents. We've learnt they provide 99% of the Earth's living space and contain around 80% of all living organisms. They are the largest space in our universe known to be inhabited by organisms.
As you descend, water pressure increases, and the volume of air in your body decreases. This can cause problems such as sinus pain or a ruptured eardrum. As you ascend, water pressure decreases, and the air in your lungs expands. This can make the air sacs in your lungs rupture and make it hard for you to breathe.
According to Oceana, more than 80 percent of the ocean still remains unexplored. It might seem a rather large number, considering that humankind has explored and settled in every other corner of the globe and beyond, but the deepest parts of the ocean are largely inaccessible by we who breathe oxygen to survive.
The Mariana Trench, in the Pacific Ocean, is the deepest location on Earth. According to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the United States has jurisdiction over the trench and its resources.
The answer to whether we can technically live under the sea is a definite YES, and in fact, Jacques Cousteau and a team of fellow aquanauts lived undersea in Conshelf I, II and III in the early 1960's.
The dominant species are crustaceans, fish and a variety of animals with soft and jelly-like bodies such as jellyfish. The deep-sea floor is covered with many mounds and depressions formed by benthic animals such as worms, mollusks, crustaceans, starfish, brittlestars, shrimps, fishes sea cucumbers and sea urchins.
The hidden world under the sea: Scientists find 'parallel universe' of life INSIDE the basalt of the oceanic crust. A parallel universe of life exists hidden beneath our planet's ocean floors and could help us search for life on other planets, new research claims.
Has all of Earth been explored?
There are still some places on Earth that have not been explored much by people. The ocean is one of these places. It covers more than 70% of Earth's surface, and it contains many types of ecosystems.
Pressure increases with ocean depth.
You don't feel it because the fluids in your body are pushing outward with the same force. Dive down into the ocean even a few feet, though, and a noticeable change occurs. You can feel an increase of pressure on your eardrums.
An expedition to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Antarctica revealed a shocking surprise, as detailed in a January 2022 study in Current Biology. Scientists discovered 60 million icefish nests covering an area the size of a small city.
Due to the climate crisis, ocean temperatures are rising—endangering marine life, bleaching corals, and weakening entire ecosystems. Rising sea levels are putting the lives and livelihoods of those living in coastal regions at risk.
More than eighty percent of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. Much remains to be learned from exploring the mysteries of the deep.
More than 80 percent of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans. A far greater percentage of the surfaces of the moon and the planet Mars has been mapped and studied than of our own ocean floor. Although there is much more to learn, oceanographers have already made some amazing discoveries.
Hundreds of years ago, European sailors told of a sea monster called the kraken that could toss ships into the air with its many long arms. Today we know sea monsters aren't real--but a living sea animal, the giant squid, has 10 arms and can grow longer than a school bus.
A piece of the Space Shuttle Challenger was recently found off the coast of Florida, NASA announced in a news release Thursday. The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after takeoff on Jan. 28, 1986.
Climate change
Increasing global temperatures are already having a huge impact on our oceans. Coral reefs, for example, are extremely sensitive to warming oceans, which cause them to bleach and eventually die. It's estimated that 75% of the world's reefs are threatened.
Will oceans ever be clean again? Despite being treated as humanity's rubbish dump for decades, the oceans of the world are proving remarkably resilient, says a new scientific review. Building on that resilience could lead to a full recovery within three decades, the researchers argue.
Is the ocean under threat?
Climate change and human activities are causing the health of oceans to decline at an alarming rate. From the acidification of waters to pollution, oceans are faced with a multitude of threats which endanger both nature and humans.
After the Earth's surface had cooled to a temperature below the boiling point of water, rain began to fall—and continued to fall for centuries. As the water drained into the great hollows in the Earth's surface, the primeval ocean came into existence. The forces of gravity prevented the water from leaving the planet.
Vescovo's trip to the Challenger Deep, at the southern end of the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, back in May, was said to be the deepest manned sea dive ever recorded, at 10,927 meters (35,853 feet).
There will be more plastic than fish
It is estimated that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the sea than fish. As the plastic piles up, fish disappear. Since industrialised fishing began in the mid-twentieth century, the oceans have been transformed.
This will result in the complete evaporation of the oceans. The first three-dimensional climate model able to simulate the phenomenon predicts that liquid water will disappear on Earth in approximately one billion years, extending previous estimates by several hundred million years.
The Next 30 Years of Sea Level Rise
Sea level along the U.S. coastline is projected to rise, on average, 10 - 12 inches (0.25 - 0.30 meters) in the next 30 years (2020 - 2050), which will be as much as the rise measured over the last 100 years (1920 - 2020).
30x30 is a campaign to protect 30 per cent of the world's oceans by 2030. By creating a global network of marine protected areas, the campaign aims to safeguard the health and biodiversity of the world's oceans, and help to combat the effects of climate change. The ocean covers 70% of the world's surface.