Earth’s Deep Seafloor ( UPSC Prelims)

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News Context

The Deep Ocean is typically defined as the part of the sea and seabed located below the depth where light begins to diminish rapidly, usually around 200 meters, marking the start of the Twilight Zone. The conditions in the deep ocean are characterized by cold temperatures, averaging only 4°C, and extreme pressure, ranging from about 40 to over 110 times that of Earth's atmosphere. In terms of biodiversity, the Mesopelagic Zone (200m-1000m) is teeming with life, including squid, krill, jellies, and fish, which make up about 90% of the world's fish by weight. The significance of exploration in these depths includes discovering sources of energy such as oil, gas, and methane hydrate, harnessing ocean currents, finding promising new antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs, locating polymetallic nodules, and enhancing our understanding, prediction, and mitigation of climate change.