Ocean Mapping Key to Survival

A $3 billion monitoring system for the world's oceans is vital to their survival—and to that of mankind, scientists say. A group of experts is proposing an elaborate system using satellites, stations on the sea floor, drifting robots, and electronic tags on marine life, reports the Telegraph. One benefit, the scientists say, would be better advance warnings of storms and tsunamis.

The system would track threats like warming seas, overfishing, and pollution, and it would pay for itself by contributing to safer shipping operations and preservation of fish stocks.
"Oceans cover a majority of our planet—71%—yet are vastly under-sampled," says one scientist. (More global warming stories.)