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

The largest dataset of deep seafloor imagery ever assembled, showing "we have visually observed less than 0.001%"

Active

Since 2025

USA

Open source: Yes

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. By Bell, Katherine Lynn Croff, Kristen, Johannes (Researcher), Poulton, Susan E (Researcher), and Kennedy, Brian R.C. (Researcher)