Phase II, planned for 2011, will identify both aquifers down to 3, 000 meters below the surface, study soil composition and aquifer replenishment, and prioritize areas for agricultural development.

UNESCO: launches initiative to identify groundwater and alleviate water shortages in Iraq | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

To torment the players further, the USGA shaved down the banks below seven of the greens, so that balls that just barely miss the putting surface, or are chipped just a smidge too hard, can sometimes race 10 to 20 yards away.

WSJ: 2012 U.S. Open: An Olympian Effort Just to Survive

Things get murkier still when oil companies drill deep below the surface of the ocean floor, since even robots can't go down there to see what's going on.

CNN: John D. Sutter