I think the fact that we were able to chart the underwater topography as early as the 1870s is amazing (pg. 15). It wasn't until the 1930s that explorers were able to sink to a depth of over 3,000 feet (pg. 15), and it took another 30 years to touch the Marianas Trench, which is 35,800 feet below sea level.
Since then, explorers have continued to research the ocean depth. With every dive they discover new creatures and sometimes new ecosystems. One of the most famous submersible is named Alvin. This submersible brought a crew of explorers to the wreck sight of the Titanic in 1986, a ship that hadn't been seen by humans for over 70 years, (The Eternal Darkness– Robert D. Ballard pg. 262) and in more recent years brought a film crew to the ocean depths to film "Blue Planet" (Blue Planet: "The Deep"; narr. David Attenborough).
It is no surprise that new technology has led to new discovery. In addition, the deep ocean has become more accessible to humans. For now, at least, it is far too dangerous and expensive for an average human to dive to those depths, but what will happen when technology has advanced far enough to make it easy to dive that deep? How will the sea floor be protected when anyone can get there? What will happen when things like the Poseidon Undersea Resort open in the deep ocean?
The Poseidon Undersea Resort is one of the first true seafloor resorts. Located off the tropical island of Fiji, it allows guests a completely underwater vacation, where one has a beautiful view of the coral reef from one's bedroom. This resort was set to open in 2009 and will cost $30,000 per couple for a week of amazing experiences (www.poseidonresorts.com).
This resort is only the first. It won't be healthy for the ocean when people, who do not care to protect it, begin visiting these places. No doubt as they become more common, it will be less expensive to visit. I don't know exactly how I feel about this resort. On the one hand, I think it would be an amazing experience to see these places for myself, but is it worth destroying the environment?
Jude, it's so good to see you asking these questions at the end of your entry. The fact that you see the ambiguity in such an endeavor shows how much your topic is appropriate for an exploratory paper. I can see already how you can take your readers on a similar journey to knowledge; these questions (although not stated directly) should be present in your paper. We should be asking the same questions you have as you researched this topic.
ReplyDeleteYou may consider asking your PR group what questions that asked themselves when beginning this paper, and whether they were answered by the end. I hope you get some good feedback this week, and I look forward to reading the finished product!