So You Think You Dove the Deepest?

I didn't realize that measuring ocean depths was so imprecise at that depth.

Physically sampling the layers can help in devising speed and depth corrections. Many oceanographers also use computer models that seek to compensate statistically for the uncertainties. Typically, depth readings are assigned a margin of error.

In 2014, four scientists at the University of New Hampshire reported on a recent Challenger measurement. They put the margin at plus or minus 25 meters, a total range of 164 feet. Each depth measurement, they added, represents “at best an estimate.”