Overview

• Less than 0.001% of the global deep-sea floor has been directly observed, equivalent to about one-tenth the size of Belgium.
• Deep-sea exploration is dominated by five nations—United States, Japan, New Zealand, France, and Germany—accounting for 97% of recorded expeditions.
• The study analyzed 44,000 dive records since 1958, revealing significant geographic bias toward coastal economic zones of wealthy countries.
• Researchers warn that limited and uneven sampling hinders understanding of deep-sea biodiversity, climate regulation, and resource management as mining interests grow.
• Advocates call for representative site selection and advanced technologies to accelerate exploration, which at the current pace would take over 100,000 years to complete.