Science has amassed a wealth of information about our planet’s ocean depths since the H.M.S. Challenger started its circumnavigation of the globe in 1892. Still, as much as ninety-five percent of Earth’s oceans remain unexplored and uncharted to date. But even as we have yet to understand much about this great ecosystem, oceans are facing unprecedented threats - pollution, destructive fishing practices, the effects of a warming global climate, to name just a few.

It’s a hard truth that since the Challenger’s voyage of 150 years ago, many of the advances in oceanography have been motivated not by the pursuit of knowledge, but by the drive to exploit resources and to serve national military and territorial interests. Humankind risks irrevocably damaging a vital element of our planet, even before we are able to recognize what we are losing.

But there is hope. The enduring fascination with the complex science of ocean environments sparked by the Challenger expedition may yet hold the key to making the discoveries needed to sustain ocean health. Unlike the late 1800s, when oceanography and marine biology were virtually unknown as formal fields of study, there is now an extensive network of dedicated marine science centers across various regions of the U.S. and the world, facilitating advanced research, and even offering opportunities for undergraduate training and internships (such as the Shoals Marine Laboratory run by Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire). Research into marine organisms and their ecosystems within broader fields of ecology, biology, and the study of evolution is also yielding vital insights, as for example the work done here at Cornell to better understand issues like the processes of marine disease and the genetic dynamics of marine biodiversity. And on the high seas, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) sponsors scientific expeditions around the globe examining a wide array of oceanic topics. NOAA makes all of their data freely available for scientists to use. Many of their recent expeditions have been to establish baseline conditions in poorly explored areas of the ocean.

There is much still to learn about the vast blue of our blue planet. Thanks to the work of a pioneering voyage over 150 years ago and the scientists who have followed in its wake, there is also much great science to build on for the future ahead.