Exploring the mysteries of the deep sea has always
been an interest of mine. For the longest time, whenever I saw a documentary,
book, or article about the deep sea, I’d immediately devour it. So much below
the photic zone is a mystery and little is known about the creatures who live
there. Yet, it’s not just the deep sea that is largely unexplored. There are
many places in the ocean that are yet to be thoroughly explored and numerous species
who have yet to be discovered and described.
In 2010, the Census of Marine Life reported the
collective results of a worldwide research effort to document the biological
diversity of the ocean. Although ambitious, this marine census collection was
crucial to determining a baseline for marine life so that any effects on their diversity and well-being over the
years can have a basis for comparison. Over 6,000 (potentially) new species
were discovered and a database called the “Ocean Biogeographic Information
System” was created to catalog the species of the sea. According to their
research, an estimated number of a billion different microbes could live in the
ocean (1). Could one of those species be like Geobacter omnescomedenti?
Even though the Census of Marine Life project complied
and reported their results in 2010, efforts to explore the ocean continues.
There is an entire trust dedicated to exploring the ocean and they’ve lead
expeditions every year since 2009. Called the Ocean Exploration Trust, it was
founded by Dr. Robert Ballard (discoverer of the final resting place of the
Titanic). Just last year they used their vessel—the Nautilus—to explore the
waters off the Pacific Coast of North America from Canada all the way to Los
Angeles. According to their website, the seafloor of the Southern California
Margin is less than 50% mapped in high resolution. During their exploration,
they researched bathymetry (the seafloor), marine wildlife, shipwrecks, marine
geology, hydrothermal vents, subduction zones, and the abyssal plain (2).
Expeditions such as these are crucial to understanding how the ocean impacts
our own terrestrial environment and human lives.
So how does ocean exploration relate to Oceania? Well,
for one, a good deal of the book is about exploring the ocean and its wonders.
I wanted to instill in my readers a curiosity about the ocean and its
inhabitants. My first blog posts (after the inspiration for the story) were
about the sea creatures that appear in the novel. Some of the creatures I wrote
about were easy to find information on, like dolphins, sharks, whales, and sea
lions, but others like all of the deep-sea creatures
were difficult. Other things like the depth at which Oceania could sit at and
where it may be located were more difficult to determine due to the lack of
exploration of the deep sea. So instead, I had the founders of Oceania discover
the things lacking for our current research on the ocean.
For another, the only way Oceania could exist was because
of ocean exploration. In the future world that Oceania exists in, ocean
research has come to a point where so much of the seafloor has been mapped that
the T2N was able to find a suitable location for the city. In creating the
city, there was enough information on ocean species that the underwater city
could be designed to be supported without aid from the surface world. Oceania
further relates to ocean research partly because the entire city was created to
aid in ocean exploration. From living under the sea, it allowed the scientists residing
there to have greater access to the ocean environment. Proximity to the focus
of study makes any scientific study more efficient than having to constantly
travel to your study location. With Oceania in the deep sea, understanding of
the undersea world on the seafloor could increase dramatically.
Many of the deep-sea creatures that appear in Oceania
are still mostly a mystery to science. Even so, knowledge of various aspects of
animals (even iconic ones like great white sharks) is still less than ideal. Anyone
who watched Shark Week this past week would know that things as simple as
whether or not sharks create familial bonds or learn from each other wasn’t
known until recently. The full life history of sea turtles is also still a
mystery to science. When there’s so much more to learn about iconic animals
like sharks and sea turtles—animals that are immensely easier to access than
the creatures of the deep sea—it’s no wonder little is known about the abyssal
plain regions. It’s a reminder of why ocean exploration is so vital. Further
exploring the ocean will lead to more discoveries and a greater understanding
of both how we impact our oceans and how the ocean impacts us.
You’ve reached the end of the blog post for this week.
The next post will be my last one regarding Oceania:
The Underwater City. Stay tuned (or
subscribe to the blog) to be notified of the next post. I hope you enjoyed
reading this blog post and if you have any comments, you can leave them here on
my blog or email me directly at elizataye@gmail.com.
As always, I love hearing from my readers.
Sources
and Further Reading
If you want to read up on more current marine science
research and projects:
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