On World Hydrography Day, the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project announced a significant achievement: mapping over 27% of the world's ocean floor to modern standards. This represents an increase of over four million square kilometers, an area comparable to the Indian subcontinent.
This milestone coincides with the third United Nations Ocean Conference, emphasizing the ocean's crucial role in addressing global challenges. The project, a collaboration between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO, aims to map the entire ocean floor and compile data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map.
Over the past year, Seabed 2030 has gained data contributions from 14 new organizations, including five new countries. The project is a flagship program of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, supporting various initiatives, from climate action to sustainable development.