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Landon McNeil
English 12b Meyer
Period 3
Senior Capstone Project
The Deep Sea

Ever since the dawn of man, exploration has been integral to human survival. For
hundreds of years, nomadic tribes spent their entire lives following their prey across
continents, always exploring and discovering new things in the process. Once
subsistence farming became the main source of food, exploration still did not cease. As
families grew, new lands were sought out that could be called home. Intrepid explorers
such as Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan dared to
seek the unknown, and they succeeded marvelously. The population of the earth spread
across the globe and humans grew. The world was charted and mapped thoroughly,
and then humans began looking to the sky and space as the next frontier, and many still
do see space as the Final Frontier, but what if there was another undiscovered,
unexplored territory? One less fraught with risk and danger. A frontier close to home.
This frontier is the deep sea.
Exploration does not just mean discovering new places. Exploration means
seeking out the unknown and conquering it, whether that means physically viewing the
undiscovered places, or just learning more about what we have already seen and are
close to. 71% of the planet is covered in oceans (Endangered Species and Habitats),
and humans have only laid eyes on a mere 5% of it (Conathan). The deep seas hold
endless potential and mysteries, but it has been repeatedly undervalued and remains

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largely unstudied. With more research and exploration of the seas, the world could be
revolutionized ten times over. There are many reasons why ocean exploration should
get more funding for research, but the most prevalent ones are that it could solve the
worlds energy, food and climate problems, and many other things.
After the Industrial Revolutions of the late 1700s and 1800s and the integration of
electricity into nearly all buildings in the world, the need for a more reliable energy
source is more dire than ever. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration) is the branch of the United States government that holds a wide variety
of responsibilities, ranging from exploring the depths of the ocean, all the way up to
monitoring atmospheric conditions. While NOAA has many more responsibilities than
other organizations of the same type, such as NASA, it only receives around $5 billion
annually from the U.S. budget, whereas NASA is allotted a whopping $17 billion
(Mangu-Ward). NOAA is always researching a striving to find new solutions to the
worlds energy demands, but it is not the only group or organization looking to the seas
for the answers.
There are several different solutions that have been conceived, and in many
places implemented, by organizations such as NOAA.. One source of alternative,
marine energy is harnessing the power of ocean waves. The ocean contains nearly 1.34
billion km3 of water (Endangered Species and Habitats), all of that water constantly
gyrating, moving back and forth, up and down, non-stop. That much water holds great
power and potential for providing the world with energy. Wave turbines generate
electricity through the movement of the waves turning a turbine. Experts estimate that
wave power could potentially provide about two terawatts, the equivalent of about 200

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large power stations or about 10% of the entire worlds predicted energy demand for
2020. It is estimated that if wave turbines were implemented in the United States today,
they could provide for up to one-third of the nations energy needs (Etzioni). Other
sources of energy that can be derived from the ocean could come from ocean currents.
Much similar to wave turbines, current turbines would use the natural pull of the oceans
underlying currents to power turbines.
This technology still has its kinks that need to be worked out, which is why
marine energy sources should be further explored and funded. Many are worried that
wave and current turbines would disrupt delicate underwater ecosystems and cause
harm to the sea life, but this is only more evidence that these things need to be looked
into more deeply.
According to FAO Newsroom, about 100 million tons of fish are eaten worldwide each year (Many of the Worlds). Nearly three billion people out of the near
seven billion rely on that 100 million tons of fish as their main source of protein (Etzioni).
The fishing industry provides countless individuals with a livelihood, hence the saying,
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.
Clearly aquaculture is an important part of the world economy and more in-depth
research into ways to maximize this food source would be beneficial.
Aquaculture is defined as, the production of seafood from hatchery fish and
shellfish which are grown to market size in ponds, tanks, cages, or raceways (NOAA
Fisheries). By raising fish in a controlled environment, it better guarantees that no one
will go without food. With more exploration into the processes of aquaculture, a more
profitable, efficient system could be devised and the billions of starving people in third

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world countries could get the nutrients they need. Clean water is also an issue for many
people. It is estimated that by 2025 1.8 billion people could suffer from severe water
scarcity, with that number jumping to 3.9 billion by 2050 (Etzioni). If more money were
to be allotted for sea exploration and studies, the devices already in use to purify salt
water could be perfected and made more readily available to those who need it.
With more research and exploration of the oceans, the ever-pressing issue of
global warming and climate change could be addressed and stopped. According to the
2007 IPCC report, sea levels will rise by 7-23 inches by the end of this century due to
climate change (Rinkesh). In places where cities and towns are right on the coast, an
increase in the water height as much as 23 inches could prove to be devastating,
causing major flooding and damage to homes and property.
While most people think that the CO2 and other greenhouse gases released by
power plants and vehicles just gets caught in the air, the large majority of CO2 gets
trapped in the ocean. The ocean, in fact, contains almost 50 times more carbon dioxide
than the atmosphere does (Endangered Species and Habitats). This is because the
oceans act as carbon sinks, meaning they absorb and store CO2 from the air. In many
parts of the ocean, microscopic phytoplankton are the cause of this carbon dioxide
intake. The phytoplankton suck up the CO2 and use it to live and survive, much similar
to how humans and other animals use oxygen (Etzioni). If measures were taken to
increase the number of phytoplankton in the oceans, more CO2 could be taken from the
air, effectively slowing the process of global warming. The science surrounding the
phytoplankton is still not very well understood, but with more exploration into the
subject, great things could be done.

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There are many other reasons why ocean exploration should get more funding,
two of them being the pharmaceutical value of marine materials, and the vast stores of
wealth on and in the ocean floor. Through intensive studies of sea life, researchers were
able to derive an anti-cancer drug from the sea sponge, Halichondria okadai (May). In a
ten year study, marine scientists discovered more than 5,000 new species of creatures,
and suspect that there are many more to be found (The Deep Sea). Imagine what could
be discovered if the best and brightest minds focused in on unlocking the secrets of
these 5,000+ newfound species.
Massive deposits of precious and useful minerals in the ocean floor are also a
nice incentive to increase funding for exploration. According to Malavika Santhebennur,
an expert on the subject, there are about four kilograms of gold hidden in the seabed
for every person on the planet. That's U.S. $180,665 worth of gold per person
(Santhebennur). While every person on having that much gold would surely make gold
worth a lot less, it is interesting to think about what is down there. It is not just gold
found in the ocean, nearly 1 million carats of diamonds have been mined off the coast of
Namibia in the recent past (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), and there is still
much to be mined and found. Oil and fossil fuels can be found in abundance in the
ocean floor also, although the risks of mining them often outweigh the reward.
We as human beings need to keep exploring this planet we call home, and stop
looking to the stars for solutions to our very terrestrial problems. With more funding and
research put into ocean exploration, the worlds energy, food, and climate problems
could be solved, and the human condition could be improved drastically.

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Landon McNeil
English 12b Meyer
Period 3

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Bibliography
Conathan, Michael. "Rockets Top Submarines: Space Exploration Dollars Dwarf Ocean
Spending." Center for American Progress. 18 June 2013. Web. 02 May 2016.
"Endangered Species and Habitats." Climate Change and the Oceans. Web. 03 May
2016.
Etzioni, Amitai. "Issues in Science and Technology." Issues in Science and Technology.
2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Etzioni, Amitai. "Mars Can Wait. Oceans Can't." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 Aug.
2012. Web. 02 May 2016.
Mangu-Ward, Katherine. "Sea vs. Space: Which Is the Real Final Frontier?" Slate
Magazine. 04 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 May 2016.
"Many of the World's Poorest People Depend on Fish." Many of the World's Poorest
People Depend on Fish. FAO Newsroom. 7 June 2005. Web. 19 May 2016.

May, Paul. "Eribulin (Halaven)." Eribulin. University of Bristol, Aug. 2010. Web. 19 May
2016.
NOAA Fisheries. "What Is Aquaculture?" Office of Aquaculture. Web. 02 May 2016.
Rinkesh. "35 Facts About Global Warming - Conserve Energy Future."
ConserveEnergyFuture. CFF, 2013. Web. 19 May 2016.

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Santhebennur, Malavika. "The Pros and Cons of Deep Sea Mining [INFOGRAPHIC]."
Australian Mining. 21 June 2013. Web. 09 May 2016.