Researchers are embarking on the world’s first ocean census in an attempt to discover up to 100,000 unknown marine species in the next 10 years. There is still much to learn about the deep sea ecosystem and the ocean census will hopefully lead to new discoveries with the help of underwater imaging, machine learning, laser scanning, and DNA sequencing. Scientists currently believe that there are 2.2 million species in the Earth’s oceans, though only 240,000 have been discovered. In addition to finding new species, the ocean census, which is being spearheaded by the marine conservation institute Nekton, will also determine how climate change is affecting marine life and what a warmer climate could mean for underwater ecosystems.
Image via Ocean Census / AP
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