Why a healthy seafloor matters for the Earth system

AI Summary

The seafloor, covering two-thirds of Earth's surface, is increasingly disturbed by human activity such as bottom trawling, affecting up to 2% of the global seafloor annually. This has important implications for Earth's systems and oceanic health, highlighting the vulnerability of previously protected underwater environments.

The seafloor is more than just the ground beneath the sea. Two-thirds of Earth's surface is covered by oceans, which have an average depth of almost 4 kilometers (2.5 miles). For a long time, the seafloor's remoteness protected it from widespread human disturbance. But that is changing: Bottom trawling now reaches depths of around 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) and already disturbs up to 2% of the global seafloor each year.