What Is Ocean Exploration and Why Is It Important?

We have explored about five percent of Earth’s oceans. “What does that mean?” “Who cares?” “What
difference does it make?” “So what?” Besides the fact that the ocean plays a role in everything from the air we breathe to daily weather and climate, we know very little about our ocean. Deep waters remain a mystery even though we are relying more and more on these areas for food, energy, and other resources.

Ocean exploration is about making discoveries, searching for things that are unusual and unexpected.
Ocean exploration, however, is not randomly wandering in hopes of finding something new. It is disciplined,
systematic, and includes rigorous observations and documentation of biological, chemical, physical, geological, and archaeological aspects of the ocean. Information from ocean exploration is important to everyone. Unlocking the mysteries of deep-sea ecosystems can reveal new sources for medical drugs, food, energy resources, and other products. Information from deep-ocean exploration can help predict earthquakes and tsunamis and help us understand how we are affecting and being affected by changes in Earth’s climate and atmosphere.

Ocean exploration can improve ocean literacy and inspire young people to seek careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Yet even as the importance of deep areas of the ocean in our everyday lives continues to increase, our knowledge of these areas remains limited – in many instances, we are “flying blind” when it comes to management, regulation, and resource use in deep-water areas.