Deep Submergence Dive location dataset from Bell et al. Sci Advances: How Little We've Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor

How Little We’ve Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor 

Katherine L.C. Bell,^1∗ Kristen N. Johannes,^1,2 

Brian R.C. Kennedy,^1,3 Susan E. Poulton¹ 

¹Ocean Discovery League, Saunderstown, RI 02874, USA, 

²Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92037, USA 

³Biology Department, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 USA 

^∗To whom correspondence should be addressed: croff@alum.mit.edu. 

Despite the importance of visual observation in the ocean, we have imaged a minuscule fraction of the deep seafloor. Sixty-six percent of the entire planet is deep ocean (≥200 m), and our data show we have visually observed less than 0.001%, a total area approximately a tenth of the size of Belgium. Data gathered from over 44 thousand deep-sea dives indicate we have also seen an incredibly biased sample. Sixty-five percent of all in situ visual seafloor observations in our dataset were within 200 nm of only three countries: the United States, Japan, and New Zealand. Ninety-seven percent of all dives we compiled have been conducted by just five countries: the United States, Japan, New Zealand, France, and Germany. This small and biased sample is problematic when attempting to characterize, understand, and manage a global ocean.