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“ It ’ s a humanitarian imperative that we map the ocean floor .”
— Anthony DiMare , CEO and co-founder , Bedrock ( pictured at left ) to understand the geologic processes that shape the seafloor . The areas of operation are most commonly off the U . S . West Coast .
Bedrock ’ s AUV eliminates the need for boats entirely and supports missions in water depths less than 300 meters and / or 90 kilometers from shore . It can be launched from any beach or coastal infrastructure and generates comprehensive high-resolution data .
Mapping the entire seafloor as the basis for understanding the ocean and tackling climate change will need technology that covers wide swaths of the sea . Saildrone ’ s selling point is that its wind-powered USV can be dispatched to practically any location in the ocean . “ We can go way offshore with our Saildrone Surveyor and map down to 7,000 meters ,” Connon says . The onboard engine is used only when needed to charge batteries . The Surveyor is a 72-foot USV that Saildrone deploys .
Saildrone ’ s USVs can sail close to shore as well , and the Surveyor carries the same elaborate echo sounders as ships . Repeated measurements — missions can take many weeks — deliver comprehensive datasets that are combed for spurious interference before being delivered .
WHO OWNS THE DATA ?
While interest from private enterprises for energy exploration and governmental organizations has enabled the mapping of the ocean floor thus far , only 20 % has been covered .
There is an increasing clamor not only to fully map the ocean floor but also to make that data publicly available . Efforts like the Seabed 2030 Project , a collaboration between the Nippon Foundation of Japan and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans , hope to bring together all available data “ to produce a definitive map of the world ocean floor by 2030 .” While high-resolution maps mean a clearer picture of the ocean floor , resolution will depend on practical limits : The project forecasts that a little more than 72 % of the ocean floor will be mapped to a resolution of 400m x 400m . Bedrock is a Seabed 2030 Project partner and promises to make a medium-resolution version of its ocean maps freely available on its cloud platform , Mosaic .
At a fundamental level , mapping the oceans will be critical to protecting the planet , Connon says . “ We have only this world we live in , and we need to take care of it , but we don ’ t know what we don ’ t know right now about the ocean ,” he says . Any ocean-based endeavor to fight climate change will need a deep understanding of the seafloor , DiMare points out . “ We really need to understand the geophysical nature of the ocean . It ’ s a humanitarian imperative that we map the ocean floor .” ■
PHOTO COURTESY OF BEDROCK