The 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment, conducted by the Ocean Discovery League, is a baseline assessment of the technical and human capacity for deep-sea exploration and research in every coastal area with deep ocean worldwide. To our knowledge, it is the most comprehensive global assessment of deep-sea capabilities ever conducted.
From 200 to nearly 11,000 meters below sea level, the deep sea encompasses the single largest—and arguably the most critical—biosphere on Earth. Globally, nearly two-thirds of all exclusive economic zones (EEZs) combined have water depths between 2,000 and 6,000 meters, making this a particularly critical depth range to access.
This assessment includes online survey and manual research data for 186 geographical areas divided into six global regions: Europe, Asia, Northern America, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America & the Caribbean. The results demonstrate the unique regional and subregional challenges and opportunities facing deep-sea research and exploration in each location.
This report provides the baseline information necessary to strategically develop, equitably implement, and quantitatively measure the impact of deep-sea exploration and research capacity development over the coming years. With the 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment, it is now possible to measure the evolution of local capacity over the next decade, an important indicator of progress during the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
The 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment is an official activity of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Dr. Katy Croff Bell is President and Founder, Ocean Discovery League, and National Geographic Explorer, Saunderstown, RI, USA
Dr. Maud C. Quinzin is Capacity Assessment Project Manager, Ocean Discovery League, Brussels, Belgium
Dr. Alexis Hope is Capacity Development Coordinator, Ocean Discovery League, and Postdoctoral Researcher, MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, MA, USA
Susan Poulton is Director of Strategy and Communications, Ocean Discovery League, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Dr. Diva Amon is Science Advisor, Benioff Ocean Initiative, University of California Santa Barbara, and Director and Founder, SpeSeas, D’abadie, Trinidad & Tobago
Otmane Sarti is a doctoral student, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tangier, Morocco
Bahia Brady is a scientist in biological sciences, Cape Town, South Africa
Sergio Cambronero-Solano is Associate Professor, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, and Executive Director, Colectivo Internacional Pelagos Okeanos, San José, Costa Rica
Drew Lira is a scientist, Center for Natural Lands Management, Temecula, CA, USA
Titus Cañete is Project Leader, Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Inc., Tejero Jagna, Philippines
Harriet Baldwin is Marine Evidence Advisor, The Crown Estate, London, United Kingdom
Alanna Smith is Conservation Programme Manager, Te Ipukarea Society, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Tyler-Rae Chung is a member of the Pacific Youth Council technical advisory group, a member of the UN Ocean Decade Early Career Ocean Professional informal working group, and Frontline Monitoring Officer at Social Empowerment Education Program, Suva, Fiji
Jacqueline Evans is 2019 Goldman Prize Recipient and Founder, Moana Foundation, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Sheena Talma is owner, Talma Consultancy, Mahe, Seychelles
Ambassador Peter Thomson is Special Envoy for the Ocean, United Nations, Suva, Fiji
Kat A. Cantner is Science and Outreach Coordinator, Continental Scientific Drilling Facility, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Jon Ferguson is Freelance Creative Technologist & Software Systems Engineer, Cambridge, MA, USA
Dr. Diana LaScala-Gruenewald was Data Scientist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, USA
Joanna Maurer is a graduate student, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and volunteer, GISCorps, West Chester, PA, USA
Katie Parker is a freelance designer and artist, Washington, DC, USA
Keith VanGraafeiland is Product Engineer, Living Atlas Ocean Lead, Esri, Vienna, VA, USA
Sergio Cambronero-Solano is Associate Professor, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, and Executive Director, Colectivo Internacional Pelagos Okeanos, San José, Costa Rica
Dr. Fabiana S. Paula is a researcher, Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Dr. Leandro Ponsoni is a researcher, Flanders Marine Institute, Ostend, Belgium
Dr. Maud Quinzin is Capacity Assessment Project Manager, Ocean Discovery League, Brussels, Belgium
Dr. Adela Roa-Varón is Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
We thank Ocean Image Bank for the use of their beautiful blackwater images, particularly photographers Richard Barnden, Mike Bartick, Liang Fu, Simon Hilbourne, Connor Holland, Tracey Jennings, Hannes Klostermann, Gregory Piper, and Ron Watkins.
Founded by deep-sea explorer Dr. Katy Croff Bell, the Ocean Discovery League aims to remove barriers to the exploration of the deep sea through the development of low-cost deep-sea technologies, data analysis, and capacity building with and in support of historically excluded communities. Our strategy includes a three-pronged approach: technological innovation to create low-cost, accessible systems for deep sea exploration, development of new data analysis tools, and training programs to transition technologies to a broader range of users. For more about the Ocean Discovery League, visit www.oceandiscoveryleague.org.