Shanghai, Dec. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/
On December 27, 2016, good news came from the scientific research vessel "Zhang Jian," which was conducting missions in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The hadal science expedition team, composed of the Hadal Science and Technology Research Center (Hadal Center) of Shanghai Ocean University and Shanghai Rainbow Fish Ocean Technology Co., Ltd. (Rainbow Fish Company), used three independently developed full-ocean-depth submersibles (landers) to successfully carry out a series of scientific investigations in the hadal zone. This marks a significant step forward for Chinese scientists in exploring the "unknown deep-sea world of humanity."
Rainbow Fish 1 lander captures underwater footage of deep-sea organisms gathering at 10,890 meters
Preparation before testing of Rainbow Fish 2 lander and Rainbow Fish 3 lander
Deep-sea macrofauna (amphipods) collected from the seafloor of the Mariana Trench by Rainbow Fish 3 lander
On December 27, the hadal science expedition team, composed of the Hadal Center of Shanghai Ocean University and the Rainbow Fish Company, used three independently developed full-ocean-depth submersibles (landers) to successfully carry out a series of scientific investigations in the hadal zone. This marks a significant step forward for Chinese scientists in exploring the "unknown deep-sea world of humanity."
Leader of this hadal exploration scientific expedition -- Professor Cui Weicheng, director of the Hadal Center, introduced that the main focus of this expedition was to conduct systematic scientific surveys and deep-sea environmental impact assessments on several hadal trenches below 6,500 meters in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, spanning a total of three months from December 2016 to February 2017. On December 27, while conducting scientific operations in a 7,000-meter to hadal-depth trench in the high seas of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the team used three independently developed 10,000-meter-class landers to successfully carry out a series of scientific investigations at hadal depths (diving as deep as 10,890 meters), obtaining extremely valuable biological, microbial, and seawater samples, as well as imagery from the hadal zone. At the same time, this sea trial also verified that the three 10,000-meter-class landers independently developed by Chinese scientists fully met their design goals, successfully passed the 10,000-meter sea trial, and are capable of conducting a series of scientific operations at hadal depths.
The scientific community refers to areas of the ocean below 6,500 meters as the hadal zone, one of the last unexplored frontiers on Earth. The hadal zone represents an unknown marine ecosystem, and ignorance of this region can hinder humanity’s ability to make informed decisions about the sustainable use of ocean resources. Therefore, it is more urgent than ever to explore the hadal trenches and enhance our understanding of their ecosystems, especially as terrestrial resources become increasingly scarce and large-scale exploitation of marine resources approaches.
Exploring the hadal zone requires advanced marine technology equipment. Full-ocean-depth landers, unmanned deep-sea submersibles, and manned deep-sea submersibles are the most anticipated deep-sea scientific research tools for scientists. However, due to technical and financial challenges, such equipment is currently very scarce internationally. The United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom have each developed full-ocean-depth unmanned submersibles and landers in the past, but few remain operational today. The three full-ocean-depth landers and one full-ocean-depth unmanned submersible developed by the Hadal Science and Technology Research Center of Shanghai Ocean University mark China as the third country in the world to master full-ocean-depth unmanned submersible technology, and the first to possess both unmanned submersible and multiple coordinated lander operational capabilities, making a significant contribution to global scientific research on hadal trenches.
Commander Cui Weicheng confirms the GPS deployment location of Rainbow Fish 1 lander in the Mariana Trench with the ship captain (second from right is the captain, third from right is Cui Weicheng)
Cui Weicheng explained that the operational platform centered around the manned and unmanned "Rainbow Fish" submersibles will be the world's first full-ocean-depth "Hadal Science and Technology Mobile Laboratory," providing a public platform for Chinese and international marine scientists to continuously and systematically conduct hadal scientific research. The full-ocean-depth "Hadal Science and Technology Mobile Laboratory" is jointly established by the Hadal Science and Technology Research Center of Shanghai Ocean University and Shanghai Rainbow Fish Ocean Technology Co., Ltd. through a dual innovation model of "national support + private investment" and "industry-academia-research interaction." The entire project consists of a 5,000-ton scientific research vessel "Zhang Jian," one 10,000-meter full-ocean-depth manned submersible (HOV), one 10,000-meter full-ocean-depth unmanned submersible (ARV), and three 10,000-meter full-ocean-depth landers.
Chief scientist Xu Yunping and sea trial commander Cui Weicheng discuss sediment samples from the Mariana Trench obtained by Rainbow Fish 2 lander (left is Xu Yunping, right is Cui Weicheng)
In the future, the "Hadal Science and Technology Mobile Laboratory" will provide a research platform for Chinese and international marine scientists to explore the deep-sea world. It will enable systematic scientific surveys of the 26 global hadal trenches below 6,500 meters, collect ocean big data, deep-sea biological and microbial resource samples, establish a hadal organism DNA database, drive a series of hadal life science studies, explore the origins of life, and make positive contributions to humanity’s exploration of the unknown deep-sea world.