Our Blue Planet

FOR TWO MILLENNIA, HUMANKIND BELIEVED THAT EARTH WAS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. THIS MISTAKEN BELIEF WOULD HAVE PERSISTED INDEFINITELY WITHOUT SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY. INDEED, THROUGH HIS CURIOSITY AND QUESTIONING, COPERNICUS BROUGHT ENLIGHTENMENT ABOUT SOMETHING WITH GLOBAL IMPORTANCE, AND LAUNCHED THE WORLD INTO THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION. THE BOTTOM LINE: WITH KNOWLEDGE COMES POWER. POWER TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.

“Outer space" receives a lot of attention as our “last frontier,” however the ocean is far less explored and understood. And it is right here in our own backyard! The ocean is substantially responsible for the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, and our weather patterns. It serves as the lungs and thermostat of our blue planet, removing one-third of the carbon in our atmosphere and absorbing about 90% of its excess heat – in other words, without a healthy ocean, our air and climate would be inhospitable. Containing 75% of all life, it is estimated that only 11% of marine species have been identified. An ecosystem as large and biodiverse as the ocean is truly the lifeline of our blue planet; conversely, if the oceans die, we die. Yet 95% of the ocean is still unexplored. And it is currently facing a barrage of threats.

"The ocean is substantially responsible for the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, and our weather patterns."

Risky Business

One of the key risks to our ocean’s health is also one that humanity heavily relies on: energy. As our society tackles a changing climate, and moving away from fossil fuels, there is an increased demand for electric powered vehicles. Currently, we rely on landbased mining to fuel our green energy technologies, including the batteries for the expanding electric fleet. However, there are major impacts these mining operations have, from the environmental pollution of mining byproducts, to child labor practices. The current rate of demand for electric cars is greatly outweighing the terrestrial supply of these metals, which has led to a controversial new practice: deep-sea mining.

While ocean mining has not officially started, 16 international companies have contracts to explore the seabed for minerals and commercial mining is expected to start by 2025. Some believe that we must stop this mining while others feel that it is inevitable. There are those who would argue that mining the deep-sea is more environmentally friendly than land-based mining. However, many have raised major issues, from habitat destruction, loss of unidentified microbes and other species, noise and vibration pollution, and the unknowns associated with sediment plumes in the water column.

These risks can be mitigated with accurate information and on-going monitoring. For instance, with baseline data and predictive modeling, we may identify locations in the ocean that meet mining goals with minimal environmental impact. With regular and ongoing monitoring, we can spot vulnerabilities before they become crises. But how? The ocean floor is widely unstudied and undocumented. As nations move forward quickly to exploit our ocean’s resources, there is an urgency to develop reliable technological solutions to preempt these risks.

Often called “Blue Tech”, this new technology is transforming our ability to solve for a variety of ocean issues.

Like aerospace technology, deep ocean exploration faces unique engineering challenges, such as addressing water pressure, an unsteady and ever-moving environment, and darkness. Fortunately, drawn by scientific curiosity, marine technology is a rapidly evolving force in filling this knowledge gap. Often called “Blue Tech”, this new technology is transforming our ability to solve for a variety of ocean issues, including plastic pollution, over-fishing, monitoring our vast ocean.

On the Horizon

The team at MARE cannot think of a better way to enter the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, but with our recently donated 38-foot catamaran, the TomCat, we can now monitor additional nearby shallow depths, especially when paired with our newest ROV, the Mantis, reaching depths of 650 feet. We look forward to continuing our work to document depths where humans cannot easily go, and use this data to further ocean protection.

Marine Applied Research & Exploration (MARE) is one example of this innovation, bringing the power to make informed decisions: documenting the seafloor, creating a database of information about targeted regions and returning periodically to illustrate how the ocean is changing. MARE is able to provide data regarding the distribution and abundance of species, locations of high ecosystem productivity, and the impact of human activities. This information is used by scientists, resource managers, and environmental organizations to inform conservation efforts. Blue Tech in action!

So what does that mean for mining, and other threats to ocean health?

Make Good Choices

The United Nations recently declared a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. MARE joins with the UN and thousands of other academic, research, government, and community based organizations seeking to address various ocean health risks. With the notion that when you know better, you do better, Blue Tech features heavily in potential solutions. For instance, with the right technological tools, it can contribute to industry oversight. With our ocean floor in the sights of the energy industry, we now have the ability to study and project impacts of deep-sea mining, as well as provide on-going monitoring of the affected areas.

MARE was founded to increase the scientific understanding of deep water marine ecosystems by visually collecting data about our deep sea with specialized Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). These marine robots are equipped with cameras and sensors to capture data like temperature, depth, and oxygen levels, and has sample collection capabilities with a robotic arm. Pilot-operated, the ROV can dive to depths of 1,000 meters for hours at a time and maneuver around rugged terrain, capturing in vivid detail marine life in situ.

Blue technology is paving the way for a healthier, more resilient ocean.

Blue technology is paving the way for a healthier, more resilient ocean. Since 2003, MARE has spent thousands of hours documenting and monitoring important deep water sites off the West Coast, putting actionable information into the hands of those responsible for our ocean’s health, and highlighting critical information about the deep sea for more people. This work is more critical than ever as the ocean faces increasing threats. A loss of our critical deep sea habitats will have a cascading effect on many marine organisms that depend on them, including commercially important fish species. We must explore, discover, and protect our ocean before it changes forever.

by Natasha Benjamin

Policy and Outreach Director MARE/MareGroup.org