Scientists have announced the creation of an international alliance to accelerate the discovery of new types of marine life. Ocean Census Awaits discover at least 100,000 new species in about 10 years. The project will be headquartered at the British University of Oxford, home to the Natural History Museum, which houses species discovered during the time of Charles Darwin.

Researchers want to speed up the discovery of new species before they become extinct. The aim of the project is also to encourage environmental protection. “We need people to fall in love with the wonder and majesty of ocean life if we have a chance to protect it.”— commented Alex Rogers, one of the directors of the project.

Secrets of the deep sea

Estimated only 10% of all marine animal species identified, and the project aims to increase this number exponentially. It is not news that every year some spectacular discovery is made at the bottom of the ocean, for example, the discovery of a new species of jellyfish with 40 tentacles.

In addition, much of the ocean’s topography is also unknown. A study recently released data from satellites that revealed the existence of nearly 20,000 new seamounts. Now researchers from the University of Oxford are joining Britain’s Nekton and Japan’s The Nippon Foundation to conduct the largest census of the oceans in history.

How will the census take place?

To increase the rate of discovery of marine species, which currently stands at about 1,700 new species per year, to 10,000 per year, researchers will apply the following methods:

• Expeditions to little-studied places;
• Use of the “Bubble Car”, a submarine capable of filming, observing and collecting information;
• Laser scanning for easy detailing of sea creatures;
• Cybertaxonomy: digitization of data collected about marine species to identify new species through digital means;
• Use new technologies and working methods to speed up the process of species description;
• Investment in infrastructure and labor to detect and protect marine life;
• Increase investment in ocean education to raise awareness of life at sea.

The idea of ​​conducting a census of the ocean is very interesting and should lead to several discoveries. In addition, the more information is collected about marine life, ocean topography, as well as water bodies, the more tools scientists will have to protect the environment.

Satellite images show more than 19,000 mountains underwater
The total number of known seamounts exceeds 40,000.

Source: G1, Nexo magazine.

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