Seabed 2030

On the left: what we knew 2014 - sparse data points and vast unmapped areas.

The right: ten years on, the picture is dramatically different, with far greater coverage thanks to our dedicated centres and partners worldwide.

🧩 Join us in completing this vital puzzle: seabed2030.org/get-involved

🗓 What a difference a decade makes!

Want to see it for yourself? 

👉 Visit our website and use the interactive slider to explore how much progress has been made in mapping the ocean floor since since 2014.

🌊 Since we joined forces with NORBIT Oceans, they have helped to strengthen the capabilities of #Seabed2030 and our network - providing innovative solutions for seafloor mapping through bathymetric survey data sets, research voyages, and survey activities.

We are only just scratching the surface of our knowledge of the ocean floor.

🪸 Deep-sea ecosystems such as cold-water coral reefs remind us how far we’ve come - and how vital it is to continue expanding research if we’re to conserve these fragile habitats for the future.

Swipe to learn more.

🌏 Globally, these contributions help fill critical gaps in the GEBCO grid.

Closer to home, they inform decision-making across offshore renewable energy, hazard modelling, and marine park management - supporting the sustainable growth of Australia’s blue economy.

Learn more ➡️ ga.gov.au

🇦🇺 Meet our partner Geoscience Australia.

Through the AusSeabed initiative - a national collaboration that coordinates and publishes seabed mapping data across the Australian region - Geoscience Australia actively supports our mission by providing high-quality, accessible data.

💭 How can you stay up to date with all things #ocean mapping?

The Seabed 2030 Podcast!

Expect: 
🗞️ News from Seabed 2030 
🎙️ Interviews with the international #hydrospatial community
📡 Updates on mapping technology and methods 

Listen now 👉 https://seabed2030.buzzsprout.com

Because a complete map of the ocean underpins global progress. It gives us the knowledge we need to plan safe shipping routes, protect marine ecosystems, respond to natural disasters and manage resources sustainably.

🌍 To date, Seabed 2030 partners have helped map over 27% of the world’s seafloor - and we’re building on that progress every day.

If you feel the same, join us 👉

These were the words William Beebe, deep-sea explorer and co-inventor of the bathysphere, wrote in 1926.

Nearly 100 years later, ocean science has evolved - but that same “expectant enthusiasm” continues to drive those of us working to map the vast unknown seafloor.

💬 "When we realize the possibilities of deep sea life still unknown to us, every haul of the dredge should be welcomed by an expectant enthusiasm equaled in other fields only by the possible hope of communication with our sister planets." 👇

Episode 18 - Seabed 2030 at SubOptic, a subsea cable industry event - Revealing Hidden Depths - the Seabed 2030 Podcast For Podcast 18, August 2025, Seabed 2030 Head of Partnerships Steve Hall brings an update from our recent attendance at SubOptic 2025, a conference and trade show of the global subsea cables industry. We were invited by Alcatel Submarine Networks,...

👏 Plus: Meet Pegah Souri, our Head of External Relations, and get a preview of the Marine Technology Society Journal’s special edition on #seabed mapping.

🎧 Listen:

While most people don’t make the connection between their WiFi and ocean science, these companies traverse thousands of kilometres of seafloor, collecting crucial #bathymetric data.

🎙️In the latest episode of Seabed 2030's podcast, Stephen Hall explains how the subsea cable industry - which carries 99% of international internet traffic - has become an unexpected ally in mapping the ocean floor.

Did you know that right now, as you read this post, your data is likely traveling through massive cables lying on the #oceanfloor - not bouncing off satellites, as many assume?

📢 We’re excited to sponsor Ocean Floor Explore - an event bringing together ocean explorers, technologists, and more to build new pathways for seafloor mapping and ocean discovery.

🇨🇦 Join us in Victoria, Canada from 26-29 October.

Find out more 👉 www.oceanfloorexplore.org

🖥️ Meet QPS - a valued Seabed 2030 partner supporting our mission through advanced hydrographic and maritime software. 

QPS provides innovative tools that help process bathymetric data and generate visualisations - supporting the development of the GEBCO global grid.

Learn more 👉 https://qps.nl

Our Product — Seabed 2030 false

🌎 The GEBCO digital map, comprising bathymetric data supplied by Seabed 2030 and our network of global partners, helps plug critical data gaps - piece by piece completing the puzzle of the planet's ocean floor. 

Take a look 👉

📍 Most maps offer but a glimpse of our planet, only hinting at the vast detail beneath the waves.

For those navigating shipping routes, planning subsea infrastructure, developing climate adaptation policies, or designating marine conservation areas - standard surface maps don't go deep enough.

We thank the EOMAP team for their continued dedication and look forward to the years ahead.

Learn more 👉 eomap.com

🛰️ EOMAP uses satellite data and smart analytics to map and monitor shallow coastal waters.

Their satellite-derived bathymetry has been integrated into EMODnet, providing baseline information for management of the Great Barrier Reef, among other things. 🪸

🏝️ Shallow waters are some of the most complex zones to map.

Today, as we mark four years of partnership with EOMAP, we’re celebrating their efforts to fill data gaps in coastal regions. 👇

Central to this progress are the technological advancements that enable our partners to map at various depths, at scale, and in complex environments.

👉 Swipe to learn more

🗺️ From 6% mapped in 2017 to 27.3% mapped in 2023.

Accelerating seabed mapping is no small feat - but thanks to global collaboration and technological innovation, we’re making progress.

⭕ Can you guess what the circles on this bathymetric chart represent?

This illustration by John Pons depicts South Africa's coastline using underlying bathymetric data from NOAA's 90m resolution digital elevation model.

Take a guess below. 👇

🪸 A 10-year project has mapped the world’s largest deep-sea coral reef habitat.

The multi-partner study demonstrates the power of automated mapping and analysis methods and long-term partnerships for expanding our knowledge of the seabed.

Read more 👉 https://shorturl.at/1NUU6

This week, @npr.org’s Short Wave podcast featured @deepseadawn.bsky.social, Chief Scientist at Esri and member of #Seabed2030 Strategic Advisory Group.

One of fewer than 30 to reach Challenger Deep, Dawn spoke about how seafloor mapping is integral to so much of life above and below the water. 🌊

The event also offered an opportunity to reconnect with Marzia Rovere, former GEBCO Vice Chair & Research Scientist at the Marine Sciences Research Institute of the Italian National Research Council.

Grateful to all involved for advancing the conversation on maritime sustainability. 🤝

🇯🇵 Honoured to represent #Seabed2030 at Expo 2025 Osaka, where Director Jamie McMichael-Phillips joined experts at the Italian Pavilion for a two-day programme on Competitiveness & Sustainability in Maritime Activities.

He spoke on the role of seabed mapping in maritime resilience & data gaps. 🗺️