Diving Into the Deep Sea

http://goldendaniel.deviantart.com

Mostly everyone’s gone to the beach, swam, or had fun in water. We fish, we scuba dive, we go whale watching. There are hundreds of activities that we do in lakes and seas, being only one of the few benefits that it provides to us. I will mainly focus on the deeper parts of the ocean for this, seeing what benefits we can reap from there. The website is from the United States Department of Commerce, known as the NOAA, the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration. My thesis question I will be addressing is: What would we gain from deep sea exploration? My answer to this is: We gain many beneficial things from deep sea exploration, such as increasing our knowledge of what is in the sea itself, more about resources in the ocean, and even gaining more jobs due to ocean exploration.

Firstly, one of the main benefits we receive is just simply knowing what exists. This may not seem like a major reason but it has it’s own many benefits. “Findings made through ocean exploration are fundamental to reducing unknowns in deep-ocean areas and providing high-value environmental intelligence needed to address both current and emerging science and management needs.” Just be exploring the seas we learn about things that will help the new up and coming fields of study. Not only this, but exploring the ocean will make us more attentive to the resources we have. “Exploration helps to ensure that ocean resources are not just managed, but managed well, so those resources are around for future generations to enjoy.” By becoming more aware of what little ocean resources we have, or on the contrary, how much we have, we’ll be able to determine how much of the resources to use, so that our future generations will also have the same resources as we did. It could also help when a deep sea disaster strikes, and how to respond to the situation. “This same knowledge is often the only source for basic information needed to respond appropriately in the face of deep-sea disasters.” By gaining knowledge of the deep sea, we learn a variety of things that will help us later in the future.

Secondly, we gain more resources from deep sea exploration. There is a wide variety of life under the surface of the water. “Unlocking the mysteries of deep-sea ecosystems can reveal new sources for medical drugs, food, energy resources, and other products.” As said, there are many products we can derive from the sea, and by searching the sea, we can find more and more new resources. Also, resources from the ocean aren’t all physical. From studying the sea, we can gain more knowledge about environmental change, an important resource that will help us. “Through ocean exploration, we can establish the baseline information needed to better understand environmental change, filling gaps in the unknown to deliver reliable and authoritative science that is foundational to providing foresight about future conditions...”If we can foretell what weather patterns there will be in the unforeseeable future, we can clear the obscure vision and be able to tell what climate will be like. There are far many more deep water resources that are possible to find, for this is only the tip of the iceberg in deep sea exploration.

Lastly, deep sea exploration will actually bring more job opportunities for people. Studying the ocean isn’t just one field of study, but many more than a person may think. “It is disciplined, systematic, and includes rigorous observations and documentation of biological, chemical, physical, geological, and archaeological aspects of the ocean.” There will be many more opportunities for people interested in biology, chemistry, geography, and archaeology. Next, is that not only will ocean exploration inspire more jobs, but make people develop better technology. “Ocean exploration can improve ocean literacy and inspire young people to seek careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The challenges of exploring the deep ocean can provide the basis for technology and engineering innovations that can be applied in other situations.” People will be more motivated to look for jobs in areas concerning the ocean, and they’ll try to overcome the challenge of exploring the deep sea by improving the technology. The sea holds an abundance of treasure for us, and it’s up to us to find the key and unlock its secrets.

In my opinion, I think it’s fascinating that how the sea provides us with all of these resources, and how not every resource the sea provides us with isn't physical. Job opportunities for one would help a lot, since when people are more motivated to get in a field of study, especially one like the ones associated with ocean studies, they can become successful. People will gain more money and make an effort to be successful because they want to be. When I started this project, I actually didn't know what resources the sea could provide us with, and now it’s overwhelming. In my next post, I’ll address space exploration, and the next one after that, I’ll address sunken ships, treasures, and things like that.


Finally, as my last blog post, I’ll compare both of them again, using the information I've learned to compare and contrast them. I’ll derive an answer of which has more worth in exploration- sea or space?