Marking World Hydrography Day, the Seabed 2030 Project – a collaboration between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO – has revealed that over a quarter of the world’s ocean floor has now been mapped to modern standards. With an additional four million square kilometres of seafloor data collected, the mapped area now covers 27.3% of the global ocean – a region comparable in size to the Indian subcontinent.
This progress comes amid growing global momentum. At last week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice, world leaders and marine experts called for bold, collaborative action to unlock the ocean’s potential in tackling global challenges. From climate resilience to food security, the ocean plays a vital role – yet much of it