OCEAN EXPLORATION DAY
January 23, 2023
#oceanexplorationday

On this day, January 23, in 1960, Jacques Piccard and US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh reached a record depth of approximately 10,911 meters (35,797 ft) in the research bathyscaphe Trieste in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench near Guam in the Pacific. Their dive fueled public interest in the deep ocean and opened the door to possibilities never before available. Today, worldwide, we celebrate the wonder of and need for deep-sea research and exploration.
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From 200 to nearly 11,000 meters (600 to 33,000 feet) below sea level, the deep sea encompasses the single largest—and arguably the most critical—habitat on Earth. The deep sea is the planet’s life-support system. It feeds the upper ocean, which provides more than half the oxygen we breathe, supplies 20% of humanity’s protein needs, and supports a $1.5T global ocean economy. The deep sea is responsible for Earth’s habitability because it moderates the surface temperature for the entire biosphere.