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Environment


Taking care of home


We know more about the Moon and Mars than we do about the deep ocean... but we know enough to do a better job of looking after it


The spirit and values of ocean racing – leadership, resilience, tenacity and collaboration – are exactly what’s needed to address the health of our oceans. The deep ocean might seem to divide us but beneath the surface, it’s actually what connects us to each other across continents and to the complex web of ecosystems that sustain and support all life on this planet. In this era of massive, man- made environmental impact we don’t seem to know what is at stake. Now is the time to find out and take action. That was the take-away message from the third edition of The Ocean Race Summits, broadcast online from Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. and sponsored by 11th Hour Racing, where some of the world’s leading sailors, scientists and changemakers discussed the urgent need for greater global interest, engagement and investment in the field of ocean science and exploration. While the need to act is urgent, the situation is far from hopeless. In fact, as the oceanographer Philippe Cousteau explained during the Summit, we already have most of the technology we need to transition to a sustainable future. We just need the collective willpower and resolve to make it happen.


We know more about the Moon and Mars than we do about the oceans of our own planet. Although we’ve been exploring the oceans for thousands of years, more than 80 per cent of them are still unmapped, unobserved and unexplored. Many scientists reckon that the true figure is more like 95 per cent unexplored, and point out that almost everything we do know about the ocean is in the shallows. We know very little about


70 SEAHORSE


what lies beneath and quite wrongly assume that beyond the Continental Shelf is merely an empty abyss. In fact, it’s the largest ecosystem on earth and contributes significantly to supporting human life, in ways we are only starting to understand. Some compelling evidence of how much we still have to learn about the deep ocean was presented at The Ocean Race Summit by Dr Carlie Wiener of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. To the amazement of most attending the summit, Dr Wiener revealed that the longest known sea creature – a giant siphonophore nearly twice the length of a blue whale – was only discovered in 2020. If something of that size has eluded us for so long, what else might we have missed? Schmidt Ocean is at the forefront of deep-ocean exploration. A sibling organisation to 11th Hour Racing, Schmidt Ocean hosts scientists from around the world aboard its research vessel, Falkor, providing state-of-the- art operational, technological and informational support for pioneering projects at sea. The equipment aboard Falkor includes a unique, high-performance computing system for fast processing of data, and a 4,500-metre capable remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian. ‘Almost every expedition leads to important discoveries,’ Dr Wiener says. ‘We’ve discovered the longest ocean animal, new fields of hydrothermal vents, and 14 major undersea features like seamounts, reefs and canyons. This year alone we have discovered more than 50 new species, mapped more than 78,000 square kilometres of sea floor; and made some really


Top: beyond the continen- tal shelf is a vast deep ocean eco- system full of surprises like these harp ctenophores (a type of comb jelly- fish) spotted in the Coral Sea Marine Park at a depth of 385 metres Above: the Schmidt Ocean Institute ROV SuBastianis a unique and invaluable tool for scientists around the world who work at the cutting edge of deep ocean research


important observations.’ Ocean science is relevant to everyone, she explains. It’s not just about studying ecosystems and finding new species; it also has practical benefits. For example, ocean research has identified unique chemical compounds with the potential to cure diseases. Deep-sea corals are time capsules with crucial evidence that helps us understand long-term phenomena like climate change. Ocean science also provides the data that allows us to predict earthquakes and tsunamis. And while commercial ocean exploration focuses on finding new sources of food, minerals and fuel, Schmidt Ocean’s frontier science is a vital counterbalance, helping to safeguard our future by establishing a baseline for the deep sea to understand what animals are found there and how they use these fragile systems.


With a major international initiative starting this year – the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which aims to promote ocean science in the context of global ocean conservation for the next generation – Schmidt Ocean’s work is set to


SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE


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