The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World's Oceans

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The dramatic and action-packed story of the last mysterious place on earththe worlds seafloorand the deep-sea divers, ocean mappers, marine biologists, entrepreneurs, and adventurers involved in the historic push to chart it, as well as the opportunities, challenges, and perils this exploration holds now and for the future.

Five oceansthe Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Arctic, and the Southerncover approximately 70 percent of the earth. Yet we know little about what lies beneath them. By the early 2020s, less than twenty-five percent of the oceans floor has been charted, most close to shorelines, and over three quarters of the ocean lies in in what is called the Deep Sea, depths below a thousand meters. Now, the race is on to completely map the oceans floor by 2030an epic project involving scientists, investors, militaries,and private explorers who are cooperating and competing to get an accurate reading of this vast terrain and understand its contours and environment.

In The Deepest Map, Laura Trethewey documents this race to the bottom, following global efforts around the world, from crowdsourcing to advances in technology, recent scientific discoveries to tales of dangerous dives in untested and costly submersibles. The lure of ocean exploration has attracted many, including the likes of James Cameron, Richard Branson, Ray Dalio, and Eric Schmidt. The Deepest Map follows a cast of intriguing characters, from early mappers such as Marie Tharp, a woman working in the male-dominated fields of oceanography and geology whose discoveries have added significantly to our knowledge; Victor Vescovo, a man obsessed with reaching the deepest depths of each of the five oceans, and his young, brilliant, and fearless mapper Cassie Bongiovanni; and the diverse entrepreneurs looking to explore and exploit this uncharted territory and its resources.

In The Deepest Map, ocean discovery converges with humanity's origin story; in mapping the ocean floor, scientists are actively tracing our roots back to the most inhospitable places on earth where life beganand flourished. But for every conservationist looking to protect the seafloor, there are others who see its commercial potential. Will a new map exacerbate pollution and the degradation of this natural resource How will the race remake political power structures in years to come Trethewey probes these questions as countries and conglomerates wrestle over the riches that may lie at the bottom of the sea.

The future of humanity depends on our ability to protect this vast, precious, and often ignored resource. A true tale of science, nature, technology, and an extreme outdoor adventure The Deepest Map illuminates why we loveand fearthe earths final frontier and is a crucial addition to the increasingly urgent conversation about climate change.

Reviews

"A riveting ocean of a book, packed with gripping adventures, high-stakes exploration and political intrigue. Trethewey leads us to the bottom of the sea and deftly shows why it all matters so much." Helen Scales, author ofThe Brilliant Abyss "There is no doubt in my mind that the ocean plays the most massive role in our past, present, and futurefrom transportation to planet health to long term sustainability.The Deepest Mapshines a light on this massive yet ever-changing force and helps bring into focus so many unanswered questions, while giving us a beautiful reminder of how important it is to educate and protect these waters to the best of our abilities." Garrett McNamara, Big Wave surfer, co-creator of the documentary series100 Foot Waveand author ofHound of the Sea "The Deepest Mapis a fascinating, poetic love letter to our planet and to the scientists and explorers risking their lives to understand its unconscious. With exhaustive reporting, Trethewey takes us on an awe-inspiring and humbling adventure that makes us realize how much we still have to learn about our home." Jaimal Yogis, author ofAll Our Waves Are Water