The world’s oceans, tomorrow’s Economic Promised Land?

A Triple Revolution. A technological revolution

Until not that long ago, mankind did not venture beyond the thin, topmost layer of our oceans, either swimming freely (2) or in a heavy diving suit, fishing or hunting underwater. Real progress is much more recent: modern divers, thanks to the invention of the aqualung (1943), can reach depths of around 80 metres. Beyond that, and in very difficult conditions, special breathing gases such as ‘trimix’ (a mixture of oxygen, helium and nitrogen) enable divers to reach depths of over 200 metres (and depths of 500 metres have only been reached experimentally thanks to hyperbaric medicine). The use of piloted or autonomous submersibles made it possible to reach a depth of 923 metres in 1934 (Dr William Beebe) and 3,000 in 1948 (Prof. Auguste Piccard), and in 1960 the extreme depth of 10,916 metres (Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh)—a record only recently beaten by James Cameron (10,998 in 2012). Beyond the records that they set, these experiments taught us much about the nature of the seafloor and led to the discovery in 1977 of hydrothermal vents and their unique ecosystems, shattering the belief that photosynthesis was the basis of all life. Nonetheless, a long road lies ahead before the resources of the ocean deep can be harvested: the bitter cold, the impenetrable darkness and above all the extreme pressure are formidable obstacles that first need to be overcome.