"Less than five percent of the deep sea has been seen, let alone explored. Ironically, we know more about the back side of the moon than we do about the bottom of the ocean." — Sylvia Earle, biologist and deep-sea explorer

The deep sea floor is so remote and inaccessible that many new species, like this deep-dwelling octopus, are constantly being discovered. © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The deep sea floor is a vital part of the global ecosystem, harboring thousands of species yet to be studied. But this remote realm could be at great peril. The sea floor has long been used as a dumping ground for nuclear and other wastes, and it also contains a wealth of mineral deposits. Mining the deep sea floor for these valuable resources would devastate the animals living there by burying them under tons of silt.

Trillions of naturally occurring lumps of metal, known as manganese nodules, litter the deep sea floor. In addition to manganese, these nodules contain such valuable metals as cobalt, copper and nickel—but mining them could disrupt this habitat.

Parolomis Crab  © R. Mickens/AMNH

In the 1980s, mining and fishing rights were extended from just 5.5 kilometers (3.5 miles) to 320 km (200 miles) off a nation's coast. Critics fear that this increase could lead to overexploitation of ocean resources. Forty-three percent of the ocean floor now falls within some nation's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The United States has laid claim to an EEZ as large as its entire land area. This includes nearly 1 million square miles around Hawaii—an area larger than Mexico.