Underwater exploration: Deep Worker submersibles explore the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico.
Image courtesy of Kip F. Evans
Ocean Literacy - Essential Principle 7
The ocean is largely unexplored.
Fundamental Concept 7a.
The ocean is the last and largest unexplored place on Earth— less than 5% of it has been explored. This is the great frontier for the next generation’s explorers and researchers, where they will find great opportunities for inquiry and investigation.
Fundamental Concept 7b.
Understanding the ocean is more than a matter of curiosity. Exploration, inquiry and study are required to better understand ocean systems and processes.
Fundamental Concept 7c.
Over the last 40 years, use of ocean resources has increased significantly, therefore the future sustainability of ocean resources depends on our understanding of those resources and their potential and limitations.
Fundamental Concept 7d.
New technologies, sensors and tools are expanding our ability to explore the ocean. Ocean scientists are relying more and more on satellites, drifters, buoys, subsea
observatories and unmanned submersibles.
Fundamental Concept 7e.
Use of mathematical models is now an essential part of ocean sciences. Models help us understand the complexity of the ocean and of its interaction with Earth’s climate. They process observations and help describe the interactions among systems.
Fundamental Concept 7f.
Ocean exploration is truly interdisciplinary. It requires close collaboration among biologists, chemists, climatologists, computer programmers, engineers, geologists, meteorologists, and physicists, and new ways of thinking.
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