The Global Hadal Exploration Programme (GHEP), an international program for hadal zone exploration, received official approval from the UN’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) in early June. The term hadal stems from Hades, Greek god of the underworld, and refers to the greatest ocean depths below 6,000 meters.
The program led by the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering (DSSE) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2022 was designed to support the IOC’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). Scientists from more than 10 countries, including China, New Zealand, Germany, France, Russia, Brazil and India will explore trenches and fracture zones at depths from 6,000 meters down to the bottom of the ocean, up to about 11,000 meters, which are characterized by enormous pressures, low temperatures, darkness and frequent earthquakes. The exploration is expected to help answer questions on what the boundaries of life are.
The program plans to cover 37 hadal zones, five of which are more than 10,000 meters deep. Scientists will study whether or not the creatures in different hadal zones have genetic exchanges and how they evolve. Scientists have already explored nine hadal trenches, including the Mariana, Kermadec and Puysegur trenches, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
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