There are two major scientific aspects of ridges that require data from a global spectrum of locations. First, ocean crust formation is a multi-dimensional problem, as is clear from the variations that occur even at constant spreading rate. Second, there are problems that are global in scale, and have wavelengths longer than any regional study can encompass. There are too few of these long-wavelength features to be investigated statistically. Their description alone requires surveys of large portions of the ridge system.
Recent observations indicate that spreading is a truly three-dimensional process.
However, the origin of its fundamental segmentation is still poorly understood. It appears to arise from the complex interplay between magmatism and tectonism, which may be related to the pattern of mantle upwelling beneath the ridge axis. The arc ridges that bound back-arc basins provide covering sediments and physical barriers that modify fluid circulation in the crust and ocean. Observing and quantifying active ridge processes. The global oceanic ridge system is the locus of massive energy flux from the interior of the planet to its near-surface environment.