About 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water, and researchers are trying to map every inch of it.
The project, called Seabed 2030,aims to map 100% of the world's ocean floor by 2030, using primarily data collected by scientific vessels, corporations and private boat owners around the world. Although research has been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has made enormous progress since its inception, the BBC reports.
Why map the entire ocean?Not to find the lost city of Atlantis (at least officially). According to the Seabed team, a comprehensive understanding of the ocean floor is critical for a variety of scientific and commercial purposes. From a business perspective, good maps of the seabed will help ships navigate more efficiently and will also be useful in laying cables and constructing pipelines.
But more importantly, these cards will be revealed earlierunknown patterns in deep ocean currents that are influenced by variations in seafloor topography. Accurate information about currents could improve climate change models as the ocean plays a key role in moving heat around the Earth.
Read more
The largest comet in history is seen in the solar system: it is almost a planet
New method instantly turns carbon into graphene or diamonds
Found an inexpensive way to save the centers of megacities from overheating