10 Resources from the Ocean Floor
10.1 Types of Resources
The ocean floor contains energy sources (petroleum and gas) and raw materials (sand
and gravel, phosphorite, corals and other biogenic carbonates, heavy metal ores).
Also, the sea floor is used as a dump site for waste, which represents a considerable
economic value. In terms of dollars and cents, energy (hydrocarbons) is the most
important resource, while (at present) raw materials are of regional importance only.
Nothing as yet has been gained from deep sea ores, although they are of great
scientific interest and are potentially valuable. The various resources are summarized
in Table 10.1. Many of the figures given are rather crude guesses: resources within
the ground are difficult to quantrify. We shall briefly treat the geologic background
for seafloor resources here, with some mention of the economic and the political
problems associated with the use of the sea floor.
10.2 Petroleum Beneath the Sea Floor
10.2.1 Economic Background. The present high standard of living of the industrial
countries, unprecedented in all of history, is largely dependent on the availability of
large amounts of cheap energy. In the USA and elsewhere petroleum delivers about
one half of this vital resource. In the USA, 54 % (1991) of the oil is imported, in
Germany and France around 97 %, and in Japan even 100 %. In the long run, these
imports will become more and more expensive, independet of political ups and
downs, reflecting the strong and growing demand, as well as the realization by the
sellers that their goods cannot last forever. In 1991 world production was about 3.15
billion tons of petroleum and 2.1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. Around 30 % of
the oil and 20 % of the gas came from offshore sources.
Total potential resources and even reserves (= producible petroleum under prevailing economic and technological conditions) are hard to estimate. World resources
may be 200 to 300 billion tons of oil and 200 to 250 trillion cubic meters of gas, and
world reserves 135 billion tons and 124 trillion cubic meters. Expressed in static life
expectancy, reserves for oil are good for 43 years (135 billion tons/3.15 billion tons
per year) and for gas 60 years (124 trillion cubic meters/2.1 trillion cubic meters per
year). US oil reserves estimated at 1 around 4.4 billion tons in 1975 and recently at
around 3.5 billion tons only. Hence, static life expectany would be some 8 years only,
10.1 Types of Resources
The ocean floor contains energy sources (petroleum and gas) and raw materials (sand
and gravel, phosphorite, corals and other biogenic carbonates, heavy metal ores).
Also, the sea floor is used as a dump site for waste, which represents a considerable
economic value. In terms of dollars and cents, energy (hydrocarbons) is the most
important resource, while (at present) raw materials are of regional importance only.
Nothing as yet has been gained from deep sea ores, although they are of great
scientific interest and are potentially valuable. The various resources are summarized
in Table 10.1. Many of the figures given are rather crude guesses: resources within
the ground are difficult to quantrify. We shall briefly treat the geologic background
for seafloor resources here, with some mention of the economic and the political
problems associated with the use of the sea floor.
10.2 Petroleum Beneath the Sea Floor
10.2.1 Economic Background. The present high standard of living of the industrial
countries, unprecedented in all of history, is largely dependent on the availability of
large amounts of cheap energy. In the USA and elsewhere petroleum delivers about
one half of this vital resource. In the USA, 54 % (1991) of the oil is imported, in
Germany and France around 97 %, and in Japan even 100 %. In the long run, these
imports will become more and more expensive, independet of political ups and
downs, reflecting the strong and growing demand, as well as the realization by the
sellers that their goods cannot last forever. In 1991 world production was about 3.15
billion tons of petroleum and 2.1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. Around 30 % of
the oil and 20 % of the gas came from offshore sources.
Total potential resources and even reserves (= producible petroleum under prevailing economic and technological conditions) are hard to estimate. World resources
may be 200 to 300 billion tons of oil and 200 to 250 trillion cubic meters of gas, and
world reserves 135 billion tons and 124 trillion cubic meters. Expressed in static life
expectancy, reserves for oil are good for 43 years (135 billion tons/3.15 billion tons
per year) and for gas 60 years (124 trillion cubic meters/2.1 trillion cubic meters per
year). US oil reserves estimated at 1 around 4.4 billion tons in 1975 and recently at
around 3.5 billion tons only. Hence, static life expectany would be some 8 years only,