Mapping The Seafloor Is Daunting But Key To Improving Human Life

Short Wave

NPR

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 November 2023

⏱️ 16 minutes

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Summary

Scientists have mapped less than 25% of the world's seafloor. Experts say that getting that number up to 100% would improve everything from tsunami warnings to the Internet and renewable energy. That's why there's currently a global effort to create a full, detailed map of the seabed by 2030. Today, we talk to Dawn Wright, a marine geographer and chief scientist at the Environmental Systems Research Institute about this effort.

Curious about ocean science? Email us at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:18.5	You're listening to Shortwave
0:21.0	from NPR.
0:25.0	Dawn Wright is one of less than 30 people to travel to a very hard to reach spot on planet Earth,
0:32.0	the deepest part of the ocean, a place known as
0:35.3	Challenger Deep. Descending in a submersible is not unlike being in a space
0:42.2	capsule in many ways you're in a very small is not enough room
0:44.0	unlike being in a very small space,
0:46.5	not enough room to stand up.
0:48.6	It was very slow and very peaceful and very calm and as we got to around 800 to 900 meters depth that's
0:59.8	when we lost light we were treated to a fireworks show of sorts, worms, jellyfish, angler fish,
1:11.7	they used bioluminescence to communicate with each other.
1:14.8	Dawn's traveling companion, pilot Victor Viskovo, started flashing the lights of their
1:19.5	submersible, and...
1:22.2	We saw them flash back. But Don didn't travel 10,000 meters or 6.7 miles
1:29.1	underwater just for a light show. Dawn is a marine geographer.
1:33.9	I study the rocks and the motion at the bottom of the ocean
	...

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