Well, it turns out, for most of the planet’s surface — the ocean floor, that is — we don’t have very good maps. Researchers announced Friday that they’ve completed a map for just over ...

New study shows just how little – about 99.999% – of the world’s oceanic depths have been viewed by human eyes.

Submarine maps are essential for various maritime activities, including navigation and the installation of undersea communication cables that make global internet connectivity possible.

An ultra-detailed map of the ocean floor uses gravity-based data collected by satellite. NASA and CNES launched the satellite to survey Earth’s surface water.

Many maps of the ocean floor are decades old. The race is on to properly chart them by 2030 – and crowdsourcing could be part of the answer.

"We discovered that the ocean floor has become a resting place, or reservoir, for most plastic pollution, with between 3 to 11 million tonnes of plastic estimated to be sinking to the ocean floor.

Terradepth is building robots to autonomously map the ocean floor which humans know a shockingly little amount about.

In the 1950s, geologist Marie Tharp turned depth measurements into detailed maps of the ocean floor. It led to her discovery of the Mid-Atlantic rift.

The maps will make it possible to spot and protect sensitive marine habitats, ensure safe navigation for ships and keep people on land safe during a hurricane.

In the Florida Keys, a marine heat wave has pushed ocean temperatures to record-breaking, “hot tub” levels, leaving multiple coral reefs now completely bleached or dead.

A global map of the ocean floor could buoy the economy Researchers have mapped a quarter of it so far. Communications, shipping, mining and climate modeling could benefit.