world oceans day
Immerse yourself in the mysteries and riches of the abyss
Audio 04:00
A shark swims off the Midway Islands, located in the Pacific Northwest of Hawaii (Illustrative image).
AP-Wyland/NOAA
Text by: Jeanne Richard Follow
6 mins
On the occasion of World Oceans Day, this Wednesday, June 8, let's dive into the deep sea.
They cover more than 60% of the surface of the planet and yet man knows the surface of the Moon better than the depths of our planet.
These deep seabeds, the last unexplored space on Earth, are arousing growing interest and geopolitical, economic and environmental issues.
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The deep seabed is the deep ocean floor, the ground under the ocean.
At less than 200 meters, there is already practically no light.
From minus 1,000 meters it's a world of pitch black, cold - between zero and four degrees Celsius.
The pressure is 100 to 1000 times greater than that of the surface.
There are varied reliefs: vast plains, mountains, volcanoes, canyons and vertiginous pits -less than 11,000 meters for the Mariana Trench-, with sometimes cold seeps or chimneys that spit extremely hot plumes of sulphides (the "
smokers black
”), sorts of brine lakes where the salt concentration is very high and metal clusters.
►Also read on RFI Knowledge
: The oceans in danger
“
The constraints there are such that each time man ventures there, it is a technological and human feat
” write the
Ifremer
researchers .
But despite these extreme conditions, life, although very rare, has been able to develop there, as explained by Éric Lesavre, vice-president of the firm Advention, which has just published a study on the deep sea for the
Fondation de la mer.
.
Sometimes luminescent, sometimes translucent, sometimes monstrous in appearance, "
there are still some large fish and large mammals below -1000 meters
(do you know the blobfish?),
and every 10 km or so there is a carcass of a whale or very large shark or very large fish which falls almost intact to the bottom and that gives the opportunity for a lot of life to flourish on it.
Full of organisms that will decompose the carcass
”.
Pharmaceutical and industrial interests
Among black smokers in particular, “
we have also been able to characterize a certain number of forms of life which are very different from what we find on earth.
It's not life based on photosynthesis, but chemosynthesis, for example.
Very different and very varied things, of which we probably only know less than 1%
,” continues Éric Lesavre.
The abysses, their mysteries and their wonders are thus for Sabine Roux de Bézieux, president of the Fondation de la mer, “
the great frontier of the unknown of the 21st century
”.
For now, it's “
the Wild West
, ” she says.
“
At the same time an area that we don't know, which makes you dream, which arouses all kinds of fantasies, an Eldorado of incredible richness.
At the same time, it is a zone without faith or laws, in which the law will gradually take its place
”, while technological progress should make it possible to open the door to this underwater world.
The stakes are immense.
"
There are extremely significant potentials in terms of health
," said Vincent Bouvier, former Secretary General of the Sea, an organization dependent on the French government.
Scientists hope to find the drugs of tomorrow there: antibiotics, cancer drugs, painkillers, etc.
Moreover, “
90% of the patents filed today on marine genetic resources come from hydrothermal sources
”, notes the report by the Fondation de la mer and “52% are held by the German BASF”.
International competition
These deep seabeds are also strategic at the military level.
“
For example, there is the protection of submarine cables
,” continues Vincent Bouvier.
The vast majority of our exchanges do not pass by satellite but by these cables.
An imperative that will require the adaptation and evolution of national navies according to him.
►Also read: [WEBDOC] AN OCEAN OF CABLES In the depths of the Internet
And then it is perhaps the most coveted aspect of the deep sea, their richness in metals and rare earths.
In sulphide deposits, polymetallic nodules or cobaltiferous crusts, there would be immense reserves of metals and rare earths.
These “strategic” minerals
are essential to the ecological and digital transition in which the planet is engaged.
They are used in particular in the manufacture of batteries for electric cars, wind turbines, drones, or even solar panels
, ”recalls the study.
Demand is exploding and Europe, in particular, is seeking to gain independence from China, which supplies it with almost all of the rare earths it consumes.
The former Secretary General for the Sea in France, Vincent Bouvier, explains that today, the mineral resources of the ocean floor "
are the subject of very great competition at the international level and of differences in conception between the States.
Some large countries have exploitation economic concerns first and others, more cautiously, emphasize environmental protection and knowledge
”.
Fragile and complex environment
Thus last year, during the World Conservation Congress, more than 60% of states and state agencies voted for a moratorium on seabed mining.
France had abstained.
From now on, the points of view are exacerbated, notes the Foundation of the sea.
Because according to scientists, the exploitation of these mineral resources would irreversibly affect this fragile and complex environment which has taken so long to develop.
The pollution generated by noise and clouds of sediment would have an impact on the life of the deep sea, and even perhaps going up to the surface, on the species of shallower waters, which we know and on which we feed.
Another possible consequence: the release of CO2 stored on the ocean floor.
►Also read: The deep seabed, a strategic environment to preserve
If in their respective Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), States are free to organize their exploration or exploitation.
On the other hand, in the high seas, that is to say beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast, in international waters, it is up to the International Seabed Authority to decide.
The seabed has been declared "
common heritage of humanity
" by the UN in an attempt to protect it from covetousness.
And for Sabine Roux de Bézieux, president of the Fondation de la mer, it is important to explore and understand before exploiting.
“
The urgency is to protect these spaces before they are damaged.
We know the state, today, of coral reefs or mangroves, it is important not that the same thing happens in the deep sea
, ”she pleads.
"
We encourage France and Europe to work to propose a moratorium on the exploitation of the seabed because we do not know how to extract the rare earths and metals that are there without causing irreversible damage
".
The race is on, she said.
Some thirty countries already have exploration programs under the control of the International Seabed Authority and the first applications for exploitation have been submitted.
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