The increased ease with which it has become possible in recent years to 3D scan the seabed has contributed to a surge of interest among nation states with regards to naming (and claiming) parts of the seabed, and particularly those deemed of potential economic, defensive or territorial significance.

Submerged landscapes of the past have also become of increasing interest to archaeologists as we have developed the capacity to investigate rather than simply speculate about them. Similarly, the importance of international geopolitics and economic designs have also long been identified as important issues for the archaeology of these areas to navigate. A recent report has suggested that nations around the world are increasingly concerned with naming and stating claim to areas of the seabed, and this trend is only likely to increase as states seek to exert territorial control. Experts warn that as interests in these areas increase, the potential for geopolitical tensions to flare, and for environmentally deleterious consequences to arise, will also increase.

Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/17/scramble-for-the-oceans-how-countries-are-racing-to-name-and-claim-remote-parts-of-the-seabed

Image: International Waters (Public Domain)