SEABED 2030 REPRESENTS MORE THAN A TECHNICAL MILESTONE
- Details
- Category: Metereología y Oceanografía
- Published on Tuesday, 26 August 2025 16:04
- Written by Administrator2
- Hits: 80
HYDRO INTERNATIONAL
The many ways we discover the hidden seabed From the earliest voyages across uncharted waters, the ocean floor has stirred human curiosity. Despite breakthroughs on land and in space, the seabed remained one of Earth’s final frontiers. In 2017, only 6% of the global ocean floor was mapped to modern standards. By mid-2024, this figure rose to over 26%, and as of June 2025, Seabed 2030 announced that 27.3% of the seabed is now mapped. An additional four million km² – roughly the size of the Indian subcontinent – has been unveiled. Central to this effort are multibeam echosounders (MBES), powerful acoustic systems installed on research and commercial vessels. These devices emit fan-shaped pulses that chart detailed underwater landscapes, revealing mountains, canyons and plains essential for safe navigation, biodiversity studies and resource management. Yet even these advanced systems cannot keep up with the vastness of the oceans alone. Autonomy is key To meet this challenge, uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) have become vital. Powered by wind and solar, USVs such as Saildrone’s Surveyor can travel autonomously across entire ocean basins without crew on board. These vessels have already mapped thousands of square kilometres of previously unknown seabed, greatly expanding the reach of traditional survey fleets. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) play an equally important role. Moving silently through deep canyons and across abyssal plains, they explore places beyond the reach of ships. Equipped with compact sonar systems and sophisticated navigation, these vehicles are essential for tackling the most remote and complex underwater landscapes. Their ability to operate for long durations and at great depths makes them invaluable for filling the hardest-to-reach gaps. Strategic layer Satellite-derived bathymetry adds another strategic layer. By analysing how light penetrates shallow coastal waters, satellites can estimate depths across large areas and provide quick first impressions where no direct surveys exist. Although less precise than acoustic methods, this approach opens opportunities for more detailed follow-up surveys and helps to accelerate global coverage. Collaborations with firms such as EOMAP and TCarta have further advanced this method, producing grids as fine as ten metres in clear, shallow waters – often down to depths of around 20 to 30 metres. Beyond filling critical gaps, satellite-derived bathymetry supports environmental monitoring, including mapping coral reefs and seagrass beds, and allows for rapid, low-impact mapping even in remote or politically sensitive regions. Capacity-building initiatives, such as TCarta’s training programmes, enable coastal nations to generate and share their own data, strengthening both regional mapping efforts and local stewardship of marine environments. The oceans cover over two thirds of our planet, and it is often said that we know more about the shape of the surface of Mars than we do about that of our global seafloor. Seabed 2030, a collaborative project between GEBCO and the Nippon Foundation, seeks to address this gap by facilitating the complete mapping of the global ocean floor by the year 2030. (Image source: Seabed 2030) Crowdsourced data Beyond these high-tech solutions, crowdsourced data has become an increasingly powerful force. Commercial ships, fishing vessels and private yachts gather depth measurements as they travel. When combined, these everyday contributions form a valuable patchwork that reveals new features along heavily used routes and contributes to a better overall understanding of the seabed. Taken together, these methods illustrate a sector in transformation. The hydrographic community now acts as a global network of sophisticated sensors, autonomous platforms, satellite technology and volunteer contributors, all working together to uncover the shape of the ocean floor. This collaborative spirit marks a new era in ocean science, one driven by innovation and a shared sense of responsibility. Growing global engagement Recent progress highlights this shift. At the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, marine experts and world leaders underscored the importance of bathymetric data for supporting the blue economy, improving coastal resilience and guiding biodiversity and climate strategies. Seabed 2030 also welcomed contributions from 14 new organizations, including first-time data from Comoros, Cook Islands, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania. The total number of contributors now exceeds 185, a testament to growing global engagement. Despite this momentum, around 72.7% of the ocean floor remains unmapped to modern standards. Many of the remaining areas lie in deep-sea or polar regions, where harsh conditions and high costs present ongoing challenges. Nevertheless, advances in autonomy, data processing and international collaboration offer hope that the gap will continue to close. The story of Seabed 2030 so far is deeply inspiring, as highlighted in recent coverage by Hydro International. The hydrographic industry has already come a long way, evolving from sailors lowering lead lines into the water to a global effort involving autonomous surface and underwater vessels, satellites and crowdsourced data. Although much work remains, Seabed 2030 represents more than a technical milestone; it embodies a shared vision that unites scientists, industry and nations. This initiative not only drives progress but also sparks innovation and strengthens collaboration. The ocean floor remains one of Earth’s greatest mysteries, but each new discovery – now with nearly 30% mapped – brings humanity closer to fully understanding the depths that shape the planet. Mapped seafloor regions are depicted in blue, whereas red denotes the latest bathymetric measurements acquired during the past year. (Image courtesy: Seabed 2030)