Planet Beyond Podcast
How to map the ocean floor
This episode is about addressing the gaps - specifically, the gaps in our understanding of the largest and least explored environment on Earth: the ocean. While it's not entirely accurate to say we know more about the surface of the Moon or Mars than we do about the ocean floor, the deep sea remains the closest thing we have to an alien world on our own planet.
And that lack of knowledge presents real challenges. Understanding the depth and contours of the seafloor - known as bathymetry - is critical to a wide range of applications: from modelling ocean circulation and forecasting tsunamis, to managing fisheries, tracking sediment transport, monitoring environmental change, assessing underwater hazards, and planning infrastructure like undersea cables and pipelines.
Seabed 2030 is a global initiative aiming to map 100% of the world’s ocean floor by the year 2030 - an ambitious goal, considering we started with only about 20% mapped in detail. This interview was recorded live at Oceanology International in London this past March, one of the premier events in the marine science and ocean technology calendar, bringing together experts from around the world.
Guest
Steve Hall, Head of Partnerships, Nippon Foundation GEBCO Seabed 2030
Your host
Jon Baston-Pitt
Global Strategic Marketing Director at Fugro
An inquisitive mind in search of the world’s thought leaders, to explore the value and mechanisms of doing business better
Photo courtesy of The Ocean Agency / Ocean Image Bank.
Our mission
Creating a safe and liveable world
Tackling tomorrow’s problems