Deep in the South Pacific Ocean lies a point on the Earths surface area that is further from land than any other area. Called Point Nemo, this area lies approximately 2,688 kilometers (1,450 nautical miles) from the closest landmass, making it the most remote and isolated place on the planet. If you ever used the expression middle of the ocean, this is literally it.
Approximate location of Point Nemo. Credit: Public Domain.
Point Nemo, the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility
Named after the well-known imaginary submarine captain from Jules Vernes novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” Point Nemo was first recognized by Hrvoje Lukatela, a Croatian-Canadian survey engineer, in 1992. Lukatela coded his own geospatial software application that permitted him to determine the precise coordinates of the farthest point from dry land by computing the point that sits at the very same range from the 3 nearby coastlines. Point Nemo has the largest computed distance of all measured coordinates.
Point Nemo, also referred to as the “Oceanic Point of Inaccessibility”, lies at 48 ° 52.6 ′ south latitude and 123 ° 23.6 ′ west longitude, which has to do with 2,688 kilometers from the nearest land, a 2km-long stretch of land referred to as Ducie Island, among the Pitcairn Islands, which is situated to the north of Point Nemo. The other two equidistant coastlines are Motu Nui (adjacent to Easter Island) to the northeast and Maher Island (near the bigger Siple Island, off the coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica) to the south.
There is actually no one around within an area of 22 million square kilometers (8,5 million square miles), an area thats around 35 times bigger than France.
The nearest occupied landmass is over 3,090 kilometers (1,670 nautical miles) away, on Easter Island. Thats the distance from Point Nemo to the International Space Station that zooms throughout the South Pacific several times a day.
The name “Nemo” is Latin for “nobody,” showing the fact that this place is so remote that there are no humans within countless miles in any direction.
Point Nemo: where spacecraft and satellites go to pass away
And one of the approaching visitors will be the football field-sized International Space Station, which is destined to sprinkle into the Pacific Ocean near Point Nemo at some point in 2031.
Point Nemo is the oceanic pole of inaccessibility, however its not alone. The Southern pole of inaccessibility is situated farthest away from the Southern Ocean, which corresponds to a former Soviet research station in Antarctica found at 82 ° 06 ′ S 54 °
Point Nemos distinctively remote place makes it a perfect area for space debris to crash land safely. In reality, the area is so remote that it has been designated as a “spacecraft cemetery” by the worldwide area community. Satellites and other area particles that fall out of orbit are often directed toward Point Nemo so that they can safely crash into the ocean without damaging any inhabited locations.
This makes the vast area around Point Nemo a substantial oceanic desert. There are no sharks or large fish. Phytoplankton, minute algae that form the bottom of the marine food chain, are found only at depths higher than a hundred meters.
The method this is done is that NASA, for instance, will time their satellite or spacecraft to execute a regulated entry right above Point Nemo. A few of the spacecraft buried there include several European Space Agency cargo ships, more than 140 Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and the Soviet-era MIR space station.
The International Space Station is set up to crash into Point Nemo in 2031 at the end of its life span. Credit: NASA.
Dead ocean
Point Nemo is located smack in the middle of the South Pacific Gyre, a large system of circulating ocean currents in the South Pacific Ocean that turns clockwise around a main point in the ocean. Given that it is up until now away from land, there are practically no dust particles or inflows from land, so the waters have a very low nutrient concentration.
In spite of its status as the most separated spot in the world, Point Nemo has actually drawn some intrepid travelers who are prepared to make the journey to this remote location. Visiting Point Nemo is not an easy accomplishment, as it needs a expensive and long voyage throughout some of the roughest seas on Earth. The journey is usually made by scientific expeditions, who are interested in studying the areas special ocean currents and biodynamics.
If theres anything that Point Nemo isnt in short supply of that would be water. Up to 26 microplastic particles per cubic meter were discovered in seawater samples collected near Point Nemo by passing vessels taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Quick realities about Point Nemo.
This is quite beneficial considering that spacecraft predestined to be crashed never land at a particular point but rather split into thousands of pieces as they go into the environment, spilling particles in an oval-shaped footprint that can be lots of miles wide and up to a thousand miles long. There arent a lot of places on Earth where you can be sure not even a single piece of debris will strike someone or something.
Regardless of its remoteness and lack of large marine life, the South Pacific Gyre hosts numerous bacteria and other bacteria, which contribute considerably to the global biogeochemical cycles. Small crabs have likewise been found near the volcanic vents on the seafloor near Point Nemo
58 ′ E. Point Nemo was discovered only three decades just.
The depth of the ocean at Point Nemo is around 4,000 meters (13,120 feet).
Lukatela coded his own geospatial software that permitted him to determine the precise collaborates of the farthest point from dry land by computing the point that sits at the very same distance from the 3 closest coastlines. Point Nemos distinctively remote location makes it an ideal area for area debris to crash land safely. Satellites and other space debris that fall out of orbit are typically directed towards Point Nemo so that they can securely crash into the ocean without damaging any populated areas.
Regardless of its status as the most isolated spot on Earth, Point Nemo has drawn some intrepid travelers who are willing to make the journey to this remote area. Up to 26 microplastic particles per cubic meter were found in seawater samples gathered near Point Nemo by passing vessels taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race.
The point was named after Jules Vernes character Captain Nemo.
Point Nemo is widely regarded as the house of Cthulu, the horrible fictional entity developed by H.P. Lovecraft. Thats quite remarkable considering the brief story The Call of Cthulu was very first published in 1928, 66 years prior to the discovery of Point Nemo.
As the point on Earth farthest from any landmass, Point Nemo is a remote and desolate location that is both strange and breathtaking. While its place in the middle of the South Pacific Gyre has made it a repository for marine debris and contamination, Point Nemo also offers an unique window into the oceans currents and communities.
The first ship to cruise to Point Nemo was the Spanish research vessel Hespérides in 1999.
