The ocean covers three quarters of the earth's surface, produces 90 percentof
allits life-supporting oxygen, and is the driving force behind the entireweather
system. There are over 450 million cubic miles of sea water on theearth
; and each cubic mile contains over 150 million tons of minerals. So vast
and so pervasive is the sea that if the earth's crust were made level
,ocean water would form a blanket over 8,000 feet deep. The oceans contribute
immeasurably to the earth's life support system aswell as provide an untapped
storehouse of food, minerals, energy, and ar-chaeological treasureAdvanced
atmospheric diving suits permit researchers to descend to depthsof l,500
feet. Yet the ocean's average depth is greater than 12,000 feet. It is
atthese depths that remarkable discoveries are being made, discoveries
whichonly a short time ago would have been impossible. In that depth, where
darkness is absolute and pressure exceeds eight tons persquare inch, robotic
submersibles have discovered enormous gorges, fourtimes deeper than the
Grand Canyon Here, too, are volcanoes that vastlyoutnumber those on land
. Landslides the size of Rhode Island have beenrecorded, as well as raging
undersea storms that go completely unnoticed oitthe surface while dramatically
rearranging the underwater landscapes. And under these seas the largest
single geological feature on earth hasbeen found-a mountain range that
dwarfs the Himalayas. It's a range thatcovers nearly one quarter of the
earth's surface. All these discoveries have come from the exploration
ofless than one-tenthof this undersea mountain range. The earth is the
only planet we know that has an ocean. The ocean is tlielargest feature
on earth. Yet it's the one feature we know the least about. Weknow more
about the moon 240,000 miles away than we know about thethree-fourths
of the earth covered with water. Man has set foot on the moon,but not
on the most remote part of the earth, 35,000 feet under the sea. Technology
is changing all that. It's literally parting the waves for today'sundersea
explorers. And it's bringing about the opportunity to transformvision
, curiosity and wonder into practical knowledge. Properly managed as a
tool to serve society, technology is the best hopefor overcoming economic
and social problems facing people everywhere. Italways has been. The earliest
relics of human life are tools. And our ancientancestors used these tools
to understand and change the world around themand make it better. The
same is true today. The deep sea is the last frontier left to explore.