How about going to the deep sea, where there's still a lot to investigate? In fact, 99.999 percent of it remains unknown!

Have you ever dreamed of being an explorer? Climbing the highest mountains on Earth? Uncovering ancient bones or artifacts buried underground? Traveling to space in search of new planets or signs of life?

How about exploring the deep sea -- where so much, we have just learned, remains unknown?

If you could explore anywhere on Earth, or even in the cosmos, where would you go? What would you hope to see, learn or discover?

In "Want to Be a Deep Sea Explorer? Don't Worry, There's Lots Left." Rebecca Dzombak writes about a new report that reveals the startlingly small extent to which the ocean bottom has been documented:

Humans have visually documented about 1,470 square miles, or a mere 0.001 percent, of the deep seafloor, according to a new study. That's a little larger than the size of Rhode Island.

The report, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, arrives as nations debate whether to pursue industrial mining of the seabed for critical minerals.

Some scientists argue that so little is known about the undersea world that more research on the deep seafloor is needed to responsibly move forward with extractive activities.

"More information is always beneficial, so we can make more informed and better decisions," said Katy Croff Bell, a deep ocean explorer who led the study and is the founder of the Ocean Discovery League, a nonprofit group that promotes seafloor exploration.

Learning more about the deep sea is essential for understanding how climate change and human activities are affecting oceans, she said. But the study also highlights the fundamental excitement of exploration that drives many marine scientists.

"You can just imagine what's in the rest of the 99.999 percent," Dr. Bell said.

The era of visual documentation included in the study began in 1958, with the deep-sea submersible Trieste. The images collected since then let biologists discover new organisms and observe how they interact with each other and their environments, providing insights into ocean ecosystems.

Bringing deep-sea organisms to the surface to study is challenging. Adapted for high pressures, few animals, if any, survive the journey, so photos and videos are crucial.

The article notes some of the additional benefits of deep sea exploration as well as the challenges:

Seeing seafloor rock outcrops in photos and videos has allowed scientists to learn how fundamental Earth processes work. It also helps companies assess potential sites for mining and oil and gas activities.

But getting to the seafloor is expensive, both in funds and time. Exploring one square kilometer of deep seafloor can cost anywhere from $2 million to $20 million, Dr. Bell estimated. The dives can take years to prepare for, and just hours to go wrong. And once a dive is underway, it progresses slowly. A rover tethered to a ship has a limited radius of exploration, moving at a crawl, and relocating the ship is tedious.

Students, read the entire article and then tell us:

Have you ever wanted to be an explorer? Why or why not? Are you intrigued by tales of historical exploration or the lives of figures like Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Zheng He, Ernest Shackleton, Jacques Cousteau, Sylvia Earle or Neil Armstrong?

What's your reaction to the article and the findings from a recent study revealing that a mere 0.001 percent of the deep seafloor has been documented by humans? What was fascinating, surprising or memorable to you?

After reading the article, does the idea of becoming a deep-sea explorer now appeal to you? If so, what aspects are most interesting?

The article notes that learning more about the deep sea would be useful in many ways, including for developing responsible seabed mining practices and for understanding how climate change and human activities are affecting oceans. Which of the many benefits of deep sea exploration do you think are most valuable? Given the challenges and costs of documenting the ocean floor, should countries, such as the United States, prioritize and fund these expeditions?

Have you ever gone exploring or on an expedition, whether just in your own neighborhood or somewhere across the world? What was enjoyable about it? What did you discover that you hadn't previously known about?

If you could go anywhere, where would you want to explore and why? What would you hope to learn, see, discover or accomplish? What challenges, obstacles or dangers might you face?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.