More than seventy per cent of the globe is made up of oceans, yet these underwater places are the least known areas of the planet. Even now only an estimated ten per cent of the ocean floor has actually been mapped in detail. There is still a lot to be discovered.

The average depth of the world’s oceans is over 3,600 meters, with the deepest areas found in oceanic trenches, such as the Mariana Trench, located in the western Pacific Ocean about 200 kilometers east of the Mariana Islands. With nearly 11,000 meters below the sea surface, it is considered the deepest point on earth.

Deepest points of our planet

On the other hand Mount Everest is, technically spoken, the highest point on Earth, reaching 8,848 meters above sea-level, but if you start measuring from the seafloor, there are some much higher mountains. Mauna Loa in Hawaii, 9,170 meters above the seafloor, is probably the highest. Only 4,170 meters of this is exposed above the sea surface.

You could submerge Mount Everest in the Mariana Trench and still have space for Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 1,917 meters, or Tongariro, a compound volcano in the Taupo Volcanic Zone of the North Island of New Zealand, as well. You could also fit thirteen buildings the height of the Burj al Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, in the trench, stacked end to end.

Revolutionary Discoveries

Just imagine that only a century ago Marie Tharp made major strides in discovering more about the world’s oceans and started mapping the entire ocean floor. Despite the barriers of being a female scientist in the male-dominated scientific community of the twentieth century, Marie Tharp’s work led to revolutionary discoveries and the maps of the ocean still affect us today. Step by step scientists and researchers reveal the secrets of the deepest points on our planet. But nearly a hundred years after Marie drew her maps of the seabed, only less than ten per cent of the global ocean is mapped.

There is still a lot to discover nowadays and unlike in the time of Marie Tharp we have high-tech and sophisticated equipment at our disposal. Moreover, both men and women are now involved in the current world of hydrography and its related activities. At Hydro International we closely follow all technical innovations, explorations, activities, discoveries and events.

Stay up to date

Hydro International, published six times a year, goes straight to the desk of key decision-makers in the international hydrographic, oceanographic and related arena and is directed at commercial, academic and government professionals all over the world, people at the leading edge of managing, implementing and procuring hydrographic equipment and services. Our audited readership is involved in a diverse range of activities such as hydrography, oceanography, maritime archaeology and environmental issues.

Do you want to stay informed of the latest developments in this dynamic world? Read our bi-monthly worldwide distributed magazine, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, visit our website and stay up to date with our extensive database with relevant information. At Hydro International we are constantly looking for interesting contributions, because we all still have a lot to discover of our seas, oceans, rivers and lakes.

Cees van Dijk,

Content manager Hydro International.

This post is sponsored by our media partner, Hydro International. 

The following is an essay by a young professional at the start of her ocean-tech career. It appears in the June 2019 issue of Sea Technology.
For more ocean stories, visit sea-technology.com.

I moved to Seattle five years ago from eastern Washington. My family migrated from Mexico 22 years ago, fleeing poverty. Once in Washington, my family worked endlessly. I grew up in a single-parent home, raised by my older sister. I was a quiet kid. I read a lot. When I was 11, I told my mom that I was “out of there” right after high school. I decided I would do anything possible to make that happen.

I am the first in my family to attend college. Education was my way out and my way of providing for my family. I, like the many incredibly bright, relentless, inspiring students of color that I have the privilege of calling my classmates and friends at the University of Washington (UW), pushed through the barriers to learn how to navigate a large institution.

The challenge to fit in and feel like I deserved my place in this highly ranked university was nearly impossible to overcome. I didn’t have the support at home that other kids did when it comes to help with homework, applications or advanced classes.

I took charge of my education and enrolled in Running Start my junior year of high school. A counselor dissuaded me, saying classes could be too hard, or I might not have the $5 to drive daily to the community college. It is encounters like this that deter students of color from challenging themselves further. But I stuck it out and graduated with an even better G.P.A. from the community college than my first two years in high school.

I entered the university environment with this drive and work ethic. Undergrad was extremely difficult, from worrying about how I was going to pay for classes to learning how to study and feeling that I deserved to be there. For the first three years of undergrad, I suffered from imposter syndrome; overcommitted, sleeping 3 hr. a night and unable to shake the feeling of not belonging.

I did not get through high school and undergrad at UW on my own. The Advancement via Individual Determination program in high school encouraged me, and the College Assistant Migrant Program my freshman year of college pushed me. It was the small community of people of color at UW that inspired and convinced me that I had indeed earned my seat there and was not alone. It was the many nights at Latinx Student Union meetings where we would discuss our hardships with classes, with our peers and in this country that uplifted me and ultimately brought me to the Applied Physics Laboratory at UW (APL-UW).

I began working at APL-UW in October 2017, two months after finishing my undergraduate degree in oceanography. UW oceanographer Rick Rupan, whom I worked with, suggested I contact Sarah Webster at APL-UW, an independent department at UW that is a Navy-recognized University Affiliated Research Center, one of only five in the U.S. I met with Sarah and Pete Brodsky, autonomous underwater system engineers at APL-UW. They took a chance and offered me a position.

The first three months were grueling because I had little to no experience in the critical technologies of ocean engineering. However, I was able to focus my attention and give it my all. It was thrilling and rewarding.

On my first day at work, Pete, my boss, showed me around. The first thing I noticed was a pair of old, cut-up denim behind wooden fish cutouts labeled “Donald Trump” and “Hillary Clinton.” There were shot glasses around the room. I eventually learned the shot glasses were for epoxying 3D-printed parts, the fish were for a previous project, and the denim was old pants and jackets cut up into rags.

This scene is partly why I was immediately drawn to APL-UW. I felt I could succeed in this light-hearted, flexible, yet rigorous environment. Without the remarkably bright APL-UW employees, I would not have learned as much as I did in such a short period of time.

In less than a year, I’ve had the opportunity to work with more technologies than I thought possible, including the Linux operating system, the Python programming language to write applications and Matlab to analyze data. I have learned communication protocols such as serial, Ethernet and I2C. I’ve developed interfaces to internal sensors and actuators. I’ve learned how to establish a reliable network time protocol and have worked with submersible Iridium-based remote autonomous locating beacons. I have wired and soldered boards for computers and have worked with high-bandwidth data links using fiber-optic cables, connectors and switches.

In August 2018, I went on a research cruise. It was a chance to live with my co-workers in a challenging, exciting, exhausting and richly rewarding environment. There’s nothing like eight days at sea to stress you out and help you get to know your colleagues and yourself better.

I hope to spend even more time at sea. Now, I know I belong and have earned my place, ready to embrace another challenge.

Viviana Castillo received a B.S. in oceanography from the University of Washington. After a study-abroad program at the Queensland University of Technology, she started learning about and working with autonomous systems. She currently holds a position at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at the University of Washington as a research scientist/engineer, working with critical ocean technologies.

Anyone affiliated with the maritime industry knows about OCEANS, the annual conference and exposition put on by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and IEEE’s Oceanic Engineering Society. OCEANS 2019 Seattle is taking place in Seattle from October 27 – 31, and this year’s focus is on sustainable practices and new opportunities presented by the blue economy. The conference theme is “Blue Sea, Blue Sky, Blue Tech.”

On average, over 130 vendors are there and over 500 papers are presented at OCEANS. Sessions focus on the latest technology and news in the industry, which is why both ECO and Oceans News & Technology magazines will be well-represented at OCEANS.

Greg Leatherman, managing editor for both publications, and Kira Coley, ECO Magazine senior editor, took a few moments to share their thoughts on the blue economy, the conference, and what 2020 holds for their publications.

“I think one of the most exciting areas in the blue economy is the emergence of a traceable “farm to table” aquaculture presence in North America. Due to the sheer number of people who live along our coastlines, you can’t overestimate how important environmental issues are in this area. The combination of skilled people and good data in this arena could change the way we eat in the same way that organic labelling has,” Greg said.

Greg noted that many of the major food companies stock values are reflecting what is important to larger elements of the population. They’re sending the message that they want to know where their food is coming from. Greg added, “Clearly no industry has more to gain from this than the North American seafood producers.”

ECO Magazine senior editor, Kira Coley, said, “With all the challenges we face in understanding changes to the oceans and coasts, beyond-border collaborations between the technology industry, governments and different science fields will be key.”

Greg suggested that 2020 is going to be a big year for ECO and ON&T magazines. “Our ECO special topic issues have been tremendously successful, and we are going to continue along that path. ON&T we’re expanding our international coverage, focusing on hot spots such as Brazil and the southern Gulf of Mexico. We’re also going to cover supply chain companies in the offshore energy areas. Our print editions will continue to be more in depth, and we’ll leverage our websites and newsletters for breaking news and updates.”

Kira added, “It’s also vitally important for success stories to be shared so others can see what can be achieved and follow suit. Our role as a leading trade publication is to support these efforts and help build bridges between industry and academia. It’s not just about keeping people informed about the latest advancements, but also about sharing stories with the ocean community that encourages open dialogue and new thinking on a global level.”

As veteran alumni of the OCEANS conference, Greg and Kira are looking forward to what they most value in the conference – the people. Greg finds that the element he most enjoys when attending conferences are his fellow attendees. “It’s really about the people. I find that once you get past the logos and marketing materials, the quality of people that work in ocean industries, academia, and organizations is unsurpassed. Where else can I talk to a Navy officer one moment, a world-class inventor the next, and then find myself at a table full of young engineers excited to solve whatever challenges the world has for them. I always meet someone amazing at the OCEANS conference, in part because the membership for MTS is so far-reaching.”

TSC publishes two leading marine publications, Environment, Coastal & Offshore (ECO) and Ocean News & Technology (ON&T).  ECO Magazine is a leading international ocean science publication for scientists and professionals reporting from the frontlines of ocean science, technology and exploration. ON&T is the offshore industry’s leading trade publication and for nearly four decades, ON&T has covered the Offshore Energy, Subsea Intervention and Survey, Maritime Communications, and Defense industries. Well read by Executive decision makers seeking industry news, forecasts and data, both publications are proud to be a part of the publishing arm of Technology Systems Corporations (TSC).

A business-to-business media company and conference organizer, TSC provides focused print, digital, and electronic media, research, market intelligence, information services and specialized conferences to the ocean and offshore industries. As the primary industry resource for news, technology developments, forecasts, information and intelligence, TSC provides insight and opportunity for the Ocean Science/Research, Submarine Cable, Offshore Energy, Marine, and Military and Civilian governments.