What is Five Deeps Expedition?

The Five Deeps Expedition has provided data on the deepest points of five oceans in the world. They are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and the Southern Oceans.

What did “Five Deeps Expedition” find?

• Java Trench is the deepest point in Indian Ocean. There were competing claims for the deepest point in Indian Ocean. This was between Java Trench off coast of Indonesia and Fracture Zone to the Southwest of Australia. Java Trench turned out to be the winner!
• Factorian Trench is the deepest point in Southern Ocean. Southern Ocean is also called the Antarctic Ocean.
• Puerto Rico Trench is the deepest in Atlantic Ocean.
• Molloy Hole is the deepest point in Arctic Ocean.
• The second deepest trench in the world is the Horizon Deep in the Tonga Trench. This is after the Challenger Deep located in Mariana Trench.
• The expedition has found that some major animals can survive in great depths. Jelly fish at 10,000 metres; Squid at 6,500 metres; Octopus at 2,000 metres

Though some of the above findings were already made, the expedition confirmed them, found new lives, corrected erratic data and also updated some.

Mariana Trench

Though Mariana Trench, the deepest point on the earth, located in the Western Pacific has been surveyed several times, the Five Deeps Expedition removed several uncertainties. According to the expedition, there is surprising amount of life in Mariana Trench.

About the Expedition

It is the brainchild of Explorer Victor Vescovo. He has completed the “Explorers Grand Slam”.
The Five Deeps Expedition was organised by a company called Caladan Oceanic LLC. It was founded by Victor himself. The company aims to support expeditions that increase ocean understanding.

Significance of Five Deeps Expedition

Such projects are important as 80% of world oceans are still unexplored. And countries are aggressively competing with each other to take hold of unexplored resources. China is one amongst them who is aggressively exploring South China Sea defying International Sea laws.

In 2019, Victor became the first person to reach the bottom of all oceans and top of all world continents.

What is Explorer’s Grand Slam?

It requires the climbing of highest peaks in all seven continents and also skiing at least 100 kilometres in both north pole and south pole.

Way forward

The data collected from the expedition is to be handed over to the “Seabed 2030 Project” of Nippon Foundation-GEBCO. The project is compiling data from various sources to create a complete Ocean Depth map by the end of the decade.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2021