Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Exploring and Exploiting Deep Ocean Space

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Ocean Literacy: Understanding the Ocean

Part of the book series: Key Challenges in Geography ((KCHGE))

Abstract

Jules Verne’s life was framed by the second phase of the British Industrial Revolution. In his nineteenth-century world, a transition to steam occurred. It was a time of rapid technological developments and explorations of every corner of the Earth’s surface. Then the world population clock ticked slowly and was well below 1.3 billion. Today, more than 7.8 billion people live in the fourth phase of that revolution, and the world population clock is ticking faster and faster. To solve our urgent demand for resources, we will shortly exploit the unknown treasure troves of deep ocean space. However, only some 15% of the ocean floor is mapped in detail, and less than 0.0001% of the deep-sea is explored. Since the 1990s a transition to global operational oceanography is occurring, with advanced monitoring systems, new technology like Argo floats, gliders and state-of-the-art ocean modelling. A new wave of ocean exploration is urgently needed, as is an adaptation of the prevailing international legislation, to keep up with the coming sustainable exploitation of ocean space. Blue resources discussed in this chapter are: fisheries, bioprospecting and deep-sea mining. In a low-carbon society, citizens should be aware of and be involved in this through ocean literacy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Argo brochure (2017) Retrieved June 1, 2018 from: file:///D:/Mijn%20documenten/Mijn%20teksten/EU%20Sea%20Change/Publikatie%202018/Argo_Brochure2017_high_res_web.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Ballard RD (1987) The Discovery of the Titanic: Exploring the greatest of all lost ships. Madison Publishing Inc, Toronto, Canada, 230p

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasiak R, Jouffray J-B, Wabnit, CCC, Sundström E, Österblom H (2018) Corporate control and global governance of marine genetic resources. Science Advances 4(6):eaar5237. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aar5237

  • Blunt JW, Copp BR, Keyzers RA, Munro MH, Prinsep MR (2017) Marine natural products. Nat. Prod. Rep. (Mar 17, 2017) 34(3):235–294. Retrieved June 7, 2018 from: file:///D:/Mijn%20documenten/Mijn%20teksten/EU%20Sea%20Change/Publikatie%202018/Bioprospecting/Marine%20natural%20products%20%202017.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Buck SJ (1998) The global commons: an introduction. Island Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Caesar L, McCarthy GD, Thornalley DJR, Cahill N, Rahmsdorf S (2021) Current Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakest in last millennium. Nature. Geosciences 14:118–120. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00699-z

  • Caesar L, Rahmstorf S, Robinson A, Feulner G, Saba V (2018) Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation. Nature 556:191–196. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0006-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carrington D (2018) Is deep sea mining vital for a greener future—even if it destroys ecosystems? The Guardian, sun 4 Jun 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018 from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/04/is-deep-sea-mining-vital-for-greener-future-even-if-it-means-destroying-precious-ecosystems

  • Chiba S, Saito H, Fletcher R, Yogi T, Kayo M, Miyagi S, Ogido M, Fujikura K (2018) Human footprint in the abyss: 30 year records of deep-sea plastic debris. Marine Policy (6 April 2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.03.022

  • CIA (2012) Project AZORIAN. Retrieved June 15, 2018 from: https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/cia-museum/experience-the-collection/text-version/stories/project-azorian.html

  • Claustre H, Johnson KS, Takeshita Y (2020) Observing the Global Ocean with Biogeochemical-Argo. Annual Review of Marine Science 12:23–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cortés-Sánchez M, Morales-Muñiz A, Simón-Vallejo MD, Lozano-Francisco MC, Vera-Peláez JL, Finlayson C, Rodríguez-Vidal J, Delgado-Huerta A, Jiménez-Espejo FJ, Martínez-Ruiz F (2011) Earliest known use of Marine Resources by Neanderthals. PlosOne (1 September 2011) 6(9):1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0024026

  • Davis N (2018) Homo erectus may have been a sailor—and able to speak. The Guardian (20 February 2018). Retrieved May 23, 2018 from: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/20/homo-erectus-may-have-been-a-sailor-and-able-to-speak

  • Deep-sea Mining Campaign (2019) Game-over-nautilus-solwara-1-experiment-fails. Retrieved May 26, 2020 from: http://www.deepseaminingoutofourdepth.org/game-over-nautilus-solwara-1-experiment-fails/

  • Dreyer EL (2007) Zheng He. China and the Ocean in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405–1433. Pearson Education Inc., New York, USA, 238p

    Google Scholar 

  • European Marine Board (2015) Delving deeper: critical challenges for the 21st century deep-sea research. Position paper 22 of the European Marine Board, Ostend, Belgium, 223pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Five Deeps Press (2019) Deepest Submarine Dive in History, Five Deeps Expedition Conquers Challenger Deep. Retrieved May 26, 2020 from: https://fivedeeps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/FDE-Challenger-Release-FINAL-5132019.pdf

  • GEOMAR (2018) Deep-sea mining: serious consequences for the marine ecosystem. GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany, press release, January 5, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018 from: https://www.geomar.de/en/discover/articles/article/tiefseebergbau-folgen-fuer-das-marine-oekosystem-gravierend/

  • Greenpeace International (2013) Deep seabed mining: an urgent wake-up call to protect our oceans. Greenpeace International July 7, 2013, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 20p

    Google Scholar 

  • Greiff J (2017) Overfishing. Bloomberg. Retrieved June 2, 2018 from: https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/overfishing

  • Halpern BS, Frazier M, Afflerbach J, Lowndes JS, Micheli F, O’Hara C, Scarborough C, Kimberly A. Selkoe KA (2019) Recent pace of change in human impact on the world’s ocean. Scientific Reports, Report 9, 11609. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-47201-9

  • Halpern BS, Frazier M, Afflerbach J, O’Hara C, Katona S, Stewart Lowndes JS (2017) Drivers and implications of change in global ocean health over the past five years. PLoS ONE 12(7):e0178267. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.017826

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halpern BS, Frazier M, Potapenko J, Casey KS, Koenig K, Longo C, Lowndes JS, Rockwood RC, Selig ER, Selkoe A, Walbridge S (2015) Spatial and temporal changes in cumulative human impacts on the world’s ocean. Nature Communications 6(7615):7. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8615

  • Halpern BS, McLeod KL, Rosenberg AA, Crowder LB (2008) Managing for cumulative impacts in ecosystem-based management through ocean zoning. Ocean Coast Manag 51:203–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPBES (2019) Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Díaz S, Settele J, Brondízio ES, Ngo HT, Guèze M, Agard J, Arneth A, Balvanera P, Brauman KA, Butchart SHM, Chan KMA, Garibaldi LA, Ichii K, Liu L, Subramanian SM, Midgley GF, Miloslavich P, Molnár Z, Obura D, Pfaff A, Polasky S, Purvis A, Razzaque J, Reyers B, Roy Chowdhury R, Shi YJ, Visseren-Hamakers IJ, Willis KJ, Zayas CN (eds). IPBES secretariat. Bonn, Germany, 56p

    Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2019) Summary for policymakers. In: Pörtner H-O, Roberts DC, Masson-Delmotte V, Zhai P, Tignor M, Poloczanska E, Mintenbeck K, Alegría A, Nicolai M, Okem A, Petzold J, Rama B, Weyer NM (eds) IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. Geneva, Switzerland, 35p

    Google Scholar 

  • Irigoien X, Klevjer TA, Røstad A, Martinez U, Boyr, G, Acunã JL, Bode A, Echevarria F, Gonzalez-Gordillo JI, Hernandez-Leon S, Agusti S, Aksnes DL, Duarte CM, Kaartvedt S (2014) Large mesopelagic fishes biomass and trophic efficiency in the open ocean. Nature Communications 5(3271):1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4271

  • Kroodsma DA, Mayorga J, Hochberg T, Miller NA, Boerder K, Ferretti F, Wilson A, Bergman B, White TD, Block BA, Woods P, Sullivan B, Costello C, Worm B (2018) Tracking the global footprint of fisheries. Science 359(6378):904–908. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao5646

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Losada S, Terras P (2018) Deep sea mining decisions: approaching the point of no return. Greenpeace International. Retrieved June 8, 2018 from: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/15514/deep-sea-mining-decisions-isa-jamaica-point-of-no-return/

  • Love DC, Fry JP, Milli MC, Neff RA (2015) Wasted seafood in the United States: Quantifying loss from production to consumption and moving toward solutions. Global Environmental Change 35:116–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.08.013Getrightsandcontent

  • Mann-Borgese E (1998) The oceanic circle, governing the seas as a global resource. United Nations Press, Tokyo, Japan, 240p

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer L, Jakobsson M, Allen G, Dorschel B, Falconer R, Ferrini V, Lamarche G, Snaith H, Weatherall P (2018). The Nippon Foundation—GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project: The Quest to See the World’s Oceans Completely Mapped by 2030. Geosciences 2018 8(2):63. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8020063, https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8020063

  • Mengerink KJ, Van Dover CL, Ardron J, Baker M, Escobar-Briones E, Gjerde K, Koslow JA, Ramirez-Llodra E, Lara-Lopez A, Squires D, Sutton T, Sweetman AK, Levin LA (2014) A call for deep-Ocean Stewardship. Science 344:696–698

    Google Scholar 

  • Meredith MP (2019) The global importance of the Southern Ocean and the key role of its freshwater cycle. Ocean Challenge 23(2):27–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller KA, Thompson KF, Johnston P, Santillo D (2018) An overview of seabed mining including the current state of development, environmental impacts, and knowledge gaps. Frontiers in Marine Science 4, Article 418:1–24. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00418

  • Mokyr J (2002) The Gifts of Athena: Historical Origins of the Knowledge Economy. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA, 384p

    Google Scholar 

  • Nance RD, Murphy JB, Santosh M (2014) The supercontinent cycle: A retrospective essay. Gondwana Res 25:4–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norman K, Inglis J, Clarkson C, Faith JT, Shulmeister J, Harris D (2018) An early colonisation pathway into northwest Australia 70–60,000 years ago. Quatern Sci Rev 180:229–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom E, Dietz Th, Dolsak N, Stern PC, Stonich S, Weber EU (2000) The drama of the commons. National Academy Press, Washington DC, USA, 521p

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott AR (2015) Polymers: Secrets from the deep sea. Nature 19:S12–S13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seas at Risk (2014) Deep sea mining: exploring the unknowns. Seas at Risk, Multi-stakeholder conference—26th April 2016, Brussels Background paper: EU funded deep sea mining related research

    Google Scholar 

  • Seas at Risk (2017) Deep sea mining? Stop and think. Seas at risk leaflet March 7, 2017, 4p. Retrieved June 11, 2018 from: http://www.seas-at-risk.org/24-publications/723-deep-sea-mining-stop-and-think.html

  • Stel JH (guest editor) (1998) Capacity Building in a changing global setting. Marine Policy, Special Issue, 22, May 1998, 175–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Stel JH (2002) Mare Nostrum—Mare Liberum—Mare sit Aeternum, duurzaam gebruik van de oceanische ruimte. Inaugural speech, Maastricht University, the Netherlands, 47p

    Google Scholar 

  • Stel JH (2006) Governance of Europe’s Exclusive Economic Zones, a vision. In: Dahlin H, Flemming NC, Marchand P, Petersson SE (eds) European Operational Oceanography: Present and Future. Proceedings of the fourth international conference on EuroGOOS. European Communities, pp 302–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Stel JH (2013) Ocean Space and the Anthropocene, new notions in geosciences?—An essay. Neth J Geosci 92(2/3):193–211

    Google Scholar 

  • Stel JH (2016) Ocean space and sustainability. In: Heinrichs H, Martens P, Michelsen G, Wieks A (eds) Sustainability Science: an introduction. Springer, Dordrecht, the Netherlands, pp 193–205

    Google Scholar 

  • Stutt A (2019) Nautilus Minerals officially sinks, shares still trading. Retrieved May 26, 2020 from: https://www.mining.com/nautilus-minerals-officially-sinks-shares-still-trading/

  • UN (2015) The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015 (Summary). UN, Washington, USA, pp 1–75

    Google Scholar 

  • University of British Columbia (2018) Patenting marine genetic resources: who owns ocean biodiversity? ScienceDaily (University of British Columbia), 6 June 2018

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (2018) Index Translationum. List of most translated individual authors. Retrieved May 27, 2020 from: http://www.unesco.org/xtrans/bsstatexp.aspx?crit1L=5&nTyp=min&topN=50

  • Umbgrove JMF (1942) The pulse of the earth. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, the Netherlands, 325p

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Dover CL (2011) Tighten regulations on deep-sea mining. Nature 470:31–33. https://doi.org/10.1038/470031a

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dover CL (2014) Impacts of anthropogenic disturbances at deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems: A review. Marine Environmental Research 102: 59–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.03.008

  • Van Dover CL, Ardron JA, Escobar E, Gianni M, Gjerde KM, Jaeckel A, Jones DOB, Levin LA, Niner HJ, Pendleton L, Smith CR, Thiele T, Turner PJ, Watling L, Weaver PPE (2017) Biodiversity loss from deep-sea mining. Nat Geosci 10(7):464–465. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2983

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2009) The Sunken Billions: The Economic Justification for Fisheries Reform. World Bank, Washington, DC 89p

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2017) The Sunken Billions Revisited: Progress and Challenges in Global Marine Fisheries. Environment and Development. World Bank, Washington, DC. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/24056 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO

Websites

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author wants to thank Prof. Jan Mees, Director of the Flanders Marine Institute in Ostend, Belgium, for preparing Figure 4 on the pulse of the earth.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maastricht Sustainability Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Jan H. Stel

  2. Puurs-Sint-Amands, Belgium

    Jan H. Stel

Authors
  1. Jan H. Stel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jan H. Stel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European Association of Geographers, National Technical University of Athens, Pikermi, Greece

    Kostis C. Koutsopoulos

  2. Maastricht Sustainability Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Jan H. Stel

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Stel, J.H. (2021). Exploring and Exploiting Deep Ocean Space. In: Koutsopoulos, K.C., Stel, J.H. (eds) Ocean Literacy: Understanding the Ocean. Key Challenges in Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70155-0_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation