As we all probably know before, the ocean covers approximately about 70% of the Earth’s surface. This fact then makes it understandable that there are so many parts of the vast water body that haven’t been explored or find out yet.
Not only because the vast body, the ocean is also hard to reach on many parts since some parts of the ocean are very deep that human has yet been able to descend to the depth.
According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ocean exploration is about making discoveries, searching for things that are unusual and unexpected through a disciplined, systematic, and includes rigorous observations and documentation of biological, chemical, physical, geological, and archaeological aspects of the ocean.
In this article, we are going to learn more about what are actually the effects of ocean exploration.
See also: Herbivores in the Pacific Ocean
- Filling Gaps in the Ocean Information
Findings from the ocean exploration are very fundamental to fill in the gaps on the blank information regarding the ocean. The information acquired through the explorations then can be used by the scientists to decide what to do on ocean issues and to come up with some ideas regarding the ocean.
See also: Types of Atlantic Ocean Crabs
- Sustainable Ocean
The information from ocean explorations can establish the baseline information needed to better understand environmental change, NOAA explained. The findings can help scientists to address both current situations and to predict the future situations that may emerge. The information then can be used to know what to do in order to protect the ocean, make them still around for the future generations to enjoy.
See also: Types of Ocean Birds
- Mitigate Deep-Sea Disasters
Since the information about the deep sea are still very little, like what we have said above, the new findings especially regarding the deep sea are very important to all of us especially the scientists. Through the information, the experts then can know the how the situation is down there and learn what to do when there are deep sea disasters since we haven’t known much yet due to the lack of information before. For example, it may give us some valuable information about predicting the earthquakes and tsunamis.
See also: Fishes in Atlantic Ocean
- Deep-Sea Environments
The new information gained through the exploration regarding the deep sea can also give us knowledge about what are available down there, how the life forms lives, and find out how us, human, can survive down there or make a good use of the depth’s resources. This is very important since as the time goes by, the number of people escalated and so does the need for foods and other human needs.
The deep-sea then can be one of the resources for us to rely on to fulfill the needs such as food, energy, etc. Deep-sea findings can even unlock some new resources from the ecosystems that might give benefits for the medical drugs and other products.
See also: Types of Jellyfish in the Atlantic Ocean
- Better Understand the Climate
The continuous exploration on the ocean can keep us informed about the ocean’s conditions from time to time. The findings from it then can help us compare the ocean’s conditions from time to time. Especially now that the climate change is happening, we can keep track the changes that happens to the ocean and what might affect our life.
Vice versa, we can also know what parts of our life that may cause harm to the ocean that will most likely impact us, human, too in the end and then fix those parts for the ocean’s sake.
See also: Types of Ocean Storms
- Encourage People to Study Further about the Ocean
One of the effects of ocean exploration, although may seem unimportant, is that it can inspire the young people to seek careers in the fields that may contribute to the ocean literacy such as mathematics, engineering, science, and technology.
As we said before, although this may seem unimportant but it actually is since it young people can have fresh insights to the ocean literacy as the different generations may have develop different and unique ways of thinking. The thoughts of challenging the deep ocean may taunt people more to innovate technology and engineering breakthroughs that can even be applied in other situations too.
See also: Types of Small Ocean Fish
- Relatively Cheaper Than Other Explorations
The ocean exploration, although must have cost a lot, but it can be considered as relatively cheaper than the other, let’s say space explorations. What’s more to it is that ocean exploration may even be relatively easier than those of the space (although we are aware that some parts of the ocean are too deep that the human can’t even reach it yet, but in general, ocean is obviously reachable than the space).
See also: Characteristics Ocean Liners
- Archeology
Ocean exploration may lead us to some artefacts that are from years and years ago. These artefacts then can be studied by the archeologists to find out more about the ancient life, and add valuable information that may be very useful for us humanbeing, also to better understand the history.
See also: Endangered Species of the Ocean
As there are good effects, we can’t deny the fact that there are some negative effects of ocean exploration too as not all people can use the ocean wisely. Here are some of the negative effects (9-15) that may or have emerge from the ocean exploration:
- Ocean Mining
Ocean exploration can also lead people to locate the parts in the ocean that are actually full of resources for us, human. Although these resources may be very useful to us, the ocean mining can also lead to many harmful events and may as well damage the ocean itself if not done in the right way or if it gets overdone.
See also: Climate of the Ocean
10. Irresponsible Ocean Creature Captures
Ocean exploration may also help us to locate places in the ocean that are full of the fish that we can consume in our everyday life. However, just like the point before this, continuous exploration may lead some people to capture ocean creatures that are not supposed to be captured and even lead to overfishing.
See also: General Characteristics of Coastal Ocean
11. Exploitation of Ocean Creature
Besides of irresponsible captures, ocean exploration may even lead to exploitation on some ocean creatures or marine life forms. For example, the overexposing of the great barrier reef that may cause damages to the reef due to the people who visits it that don’t really understand how to deal with them and so many other factors.
12. Ocean Treasures Destruction
Although the artefact findings from the exploration may give benefits to us, it can also lead to the destruction of them if the information doesn’t used wisely by some people. The information of new findings may lead people to be greedy and take them from their supposed place just for the benefits of some people. This is definitely not we want as some unmoved artefacts are left just the way it is as it may be fragile or considered as protected sites.
13. Ocean Waste
Ocean explorations may also lead people to some parts of the ocean that are considered unreachable and pop the idea that it is save for them to dump wastes in the ocean. Although some ocean waste is done in very rural places in the ocean, it is possible for them to ruin the ecosystems around the area.
14. Waste of Money, Time, and Energy
Some people or experts do ocean explorations to find out whether it is possible to live in it, just as how people do the same for space explorations. However, many thinks that the idea and act of this might just lead to the waste of money, time, and energy since human most-likely will not be able to bear the pressure and will only leads to the fact that the ocean is inhabitable for human.
15. Become Increasingly Expensive Too
Although in the positive points it is said that ocean exploration is cheaper than the space, the ocean exploration is becoming exceedingly expensive as the time goes by. A simple survey for ocean exploration can cost to as much as $50 million.
What makes the ocean exploration’s spending become more unworthy is due to the fact that the exploration might just lead to nothing. As once we get deeper under 50 miles off shore, we will mostly greet by featureless mud only. Whereas in the space, although we may as well be greeted by nothing, but we can at least identify some targets to place probes or telescopes.
As we can see, there are some good and bad effects caused by the ocean exploration. However, the bad effects can certainly be reduced if us, human, were to do the exploration in the correct way and will use the information that will be find wisely. We hope that this article has been helpful to make you understand better about the ocean exploration and inspire you to do good things for the ocean.