standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

for biological research, but if it was too far away, fauna down to 2 cm in size
could not be identified.
As part of the studies she had mentioned earlier on the biological
structure and functioning of the detritus-based ecosystem in the nodule
area, the epibenthic fauna would be observed and sampled to evaluate the
global structure of that community, its spatial distribution, and possibly
temporal changes if data from past cruises were precise enough. Sampling
of the epibenthic fauna would be necessary to identify species and
determine megafaunal diversity. In this regard, she underlined the need for
an international network of taxonomists, because there were not enough
taxonomists in France and maybe even internationally to help process the
findings. Sampling of sediment for macrofauna would use an USNEL box
corer to identify the overall structure of the communities and to evaluate
bacterial activity. The aim was to relate all these parameters to
environmental characteristics.
Sibuet did not know what type of gear would be available but hoped
it would be possible to use the remotely operated vehicle ROV Victor 6000,
developed at IFREMER. On its first cruise, in December 2000, that vehicle
had worked remarkably well because it was linked with a fibre-optic cable
for real-time video. Sampling devices linked to the ROV included tube
corers for sediment fauna and chemistry, boxes for sampling or
experimentation on fauna, and an in situ analyser for measuring pH, oxygen
compounds and sulphates in near-bottom waters.
While IFREMER could organise one cruise to collect samples, longterm
monitoring would require cooperation with other countries to keep a
ship in the area and arrange for the mooring of sediment traps and current
meters. This could not be achieved outside the framework of international
collaboration to obtain enough ship time.
SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION
Biological and environmental research
Asked whether the French were planning any water-column
ecological investigations, Sibuet replied that, regrettably, they were not
because IFREMER had never developed this speciality. The only laboratory
in France looking at this subject was a group near Nice in the south of
228 INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY