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standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

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the programme was to learn the behaviour <strong>of</strong> the plume. Monitoring was<br />

being done from a ship, employing cores, nets, water samplers, sediment<br />

traps <strong>and</strong> sediment samplers, ADCP, a deep-water video camera <strong>and</strong> porewater<br />

samplers.<br />

The programme had been divided into three stages. The first stage<br />

was baseline collection before the testing <strong>of</strong> the miner. The second stage<br />

was monitoring while the equipment test was in progress, <strong>and</strong> the third<br />

stage incorporated monitoring to see the recovery or recolonisation <strong>of</strong> the<br />

ecosystem. Baseline collection had been completed a month ago, using<br />

water samplers, CTDs, nets, ADCP, sediment traps at six levels <strong>and</strong> other<br />

equipment similar to that used in marine investigations.<br />

SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION<br />

Deep-sea fauna<br />

Asked whether China was studying the potential economic or<br />

medical benefits <strong>of</strong> seafloor fauna, Dr. Zhou said he still did not know the<br />

economic value <strong>of</strong> this ecosystem but he thought that people should try to<br />

underst<strong>and</strong> everything involved with harvesting manganese nodules. To<br />

another question, he replied that he did not know whether the <strong>International</strong><br />

Seabed Authority might be able to concern itself with the economic benefit<br />

<strong>of</strong> the fauna.<br />

Equipment studies<br />

Asked how relevant the experiment on the lake was for deepseabed<br />

mining, he answered that the experiment measured grain size <strong>and</strong><br />

other characteristics <strong>of</strong> the sediment, as well as some biological<br />

parameters. While aware <strong>of</strong> the differences between a lake <strong>and</strong> the deep<br />

ocean, COMRA thought its experiment afforded a good opportunity to learn<br />

about the behaviour <strong>of</strong> benthic plumes. Although there were differences,<br />

especially because <strong>of</strong> the different currents, the measurements <strong>and</strong> results<br />

would be compared with those from deep-sea experiments, such as the<br />

Disturbance <strong>and</strong> Recolonisation project (DISCOL) <strong>and</strong> the Benthic Impact<br />

Experiment (BIE).<br />

He replied in the negative when asked whether China had any plans<br />

to extend its equipment test to the deep sea.<br />

170<br />

INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY

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