Environment

World's Largest Whale Graveyard Found in Indian Ocean

Is deep-sea mining an irreversible threat to ocean ecosystems or simply a challenge to navigate?

JUN 11·Updated JUN 12

World's Largest Whale Graveyard Found in Indian Ocean

Story

Above: A minke whale in the Amundsen Sea on Jan. 6, 2024. Image credit: Li Jingshi/Xinhua/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

The Diamantina Zone's whale graveyard — stretching 5.3 million years deep and potentially holding over 10 million carcasses — proves the ocean's depths are far richer and more complex than science ever imagined. These whale falls sequester millions of tonnes of carbon and sustain entire ecosystems at record depths of nearly 7,000 meters. This discovery rewrites what's known about deep-sea biodiversity and whale evolution.

CGTN

Narrative B

It's important to put this research in perspective, given how little we know of the deep-sea and ocean floor. Around 66% of the Earth is deep ocean, yet the total area of it we have observed is smaller than Belgium in size. 91% of marine life is still unidentified and only a handful of countries contribute to deep-sea research, skewing the data further. Deep-sea research is still too incomplete to make sweeping assumptions.

Science Natural History Museum