Lesson 38

Card 5.3: Seabed 2030, Why Map the Ocean

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Format: Socratic seminar

Time: 40 min

Prerequisites: Card 0.1

Core Question

We have better maps of Mars than of Earth’s seafloor, and a global project called Seabed 2030 is racing to fix that. Why does a map of the bottom matter enough for that effort, and what does it have to do with a robot in a high school pool?

Resource (before seminar, ~10 min)

Read the provided one-page excerpt on Seabed 2030 and ocean mapping coverage. Note the current mapped percentage and one consequence of an unmapped seafloor (tsunami modeling, cable routing, habitat protection, navigation).

Prep Notes (your artifact)

One claim about who benefits most from seafloor mapping, with reasoning.
One cost or risk of mapping everything (there are real ones).
One honest question.

Seminar Threads

Who should pay for mapping international waters? Does mapping enable protection or exploitation, or both? Where do autonomous vehicles like Argo floats and ROVs fit where ships cannot?

Clearing This Card

Prep notes plus genuine seminar participation (or the written-response alternative from Card 0.1).

If You Miss This Class

Prep notes plus a one-page written response to two claims made in the seminar (posted summary on the class page); or bring the topic back at the next seminar slot.

Why This Matters

Judges score whether the team understands the real-world context of its missions. “Our tasks simulate survey work that Seabed 2030 needs done at scale” is context; this seminar is where you earn the right to say it.