SEABED 2030 PROJECT

July 7, 2020

The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project announced that it had finished mapping nearly one-fifth of the world’s ocean floor. Since the launch of the project in 2017, the surveying of the ocean bed as per modern standards has gone up from around 6 per cent to 19 per cent.

About:

Bodies involved: Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between the Nippon Foundation of Japan and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO).
Background: The project was launched at the United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in 2017.
Objective: It aims to bring together all available bathymetric data to produce the definitive map of the world ocean floor by 2030 and make it available to all.
Significance: Knowing the depth and shape of the seafloor (bathymetry) is fundamental for understanding ocean circulation, fishing resources, sediment transport, environmental change, underwater geo-hazards, mineral extraction, oil and gas exploration etc.