Earle notes that underwater scientists have even officially added a new kingdom to the traditional classification system of living organisms. With the backing of the Society, the seven chosen explorers will continue their research and projects. Technological advances can help answer the question of what's left to discover. Underwater researchers currently rely on maps created from satellite images and from acoustic data gathered by bouncing sound waves off the ocean bottom. We've been able to see where the great mountains and the great valleys and plains are at the bottom of the ocean, but we still don't know the substance of the ocean floor until we check it out.
Today there are only four submersible vehicles that can take people to only half that depth.
It's so ironic that we can fly overhead seven miles, having lunch and watching movies. And millions of people do that every year. But we're just beginning to really get it together with respect to the technologies we need to understand the aquatic planet. Earle has done her part to increase that understanding. With the help of a special pressurized suit, she has walked along the ocean bottom at a depth of 1,250 feet.