The deep seas – vast expanses of water and seabed hidden more than 200 metres below the ocean surface to depths up to 11,000 metres – are recognised globally as an important frontier of science and discovery.
But despite the fact they account for around 60% of Earth’s surface area, large areas remain completely unexplored, yet the habitats they support impact on the health of the entire planet.
Now an international team of scientists spanning 45 institutions in 17 countries, including several from the UK, has called for a dedicated decade-long programme of research to greatly advance discovery in these remote regions.
The programme – which scientists have named Challenger 150 – will coincide with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which runs from 2021-2030.
Challenger 150 will generate new geological, physical, biogeochemical, and biological data through a global cooperative of science and innovation, including the application of new technology. These data will be used to understand how changes in the deep sea impact the wider ocean and life on the planet.
Among its key areas of focus are to build greater capacity and diversity in the scientific community, acknowledging the fact that existing deep-sea research is conducted primarily by developed nations with access to resources and infrastructure.
The programme will use this new knowledge of the deep to support regional, national, and international decision-making on deep-sea issues such as mining, hydrocarbon extraction, fishing, climate mitigation, laying of fibre optic cables and conservation.
The international team presented the rationale behind the call for action in a comment article in Nature Ecology and Evolution, simultaneously publishing a detailed blueprint of how the actions can be best achieved in Frontiers in Marine Science.
Led by members of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), the authorship reflects both the gender and geographical diversity such a programme demands, with authors from the six inhabited continents of the world.
They note that the UN Decade provides an unrivalled opportunity to unite the international science community to deliver a giant leap in our knowledge of the deep seas.
Dr Lucy Woodall, Senior Research Fellow who leads the Marine Ecology Research Group at the Department of Zoology, said, "The UN decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development stating in 2021 provides an opportunity for deep sea scientists to coalesce to provide a powerful unified approach to investigate and understand large scale marine patterns in a way that provides global benefits rather than perpetuating the exclusive club that current exists".
Dr Paris Stefanoudis, Postdoctoral Researcher in the same group, added, “An important pre-requisite for the UN Decade of Science to be successful is to focus on capacity building, developing scientific knowledge, building and sharing infrastructure and fostering partnerships between Member States for a sustainable and healthy ocean."
