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: [e-mail]. 

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.