China is planning to build its first underwater observation platform in resource-rich South China Sea.
The country has some maritime disputes with many south-east Asian countries including Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The main aim of this platform is to observe underwater conditions in real time. The construction work on the platform will be done with the help of Shanghai's Tongji University and the Institute of Acoustics. By building this underwater observation platform, China will become an active part of the international competition.
Presently, the Institute of Acoustics has refused to disclose the exact location and any further details of the researches being carried out regarding the platform.
China claims for almost the entire South China Sea. The sea carries a third of the world's maritime traffic and has huge amounts of oil and natural gas. This claim is opposed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. In addition, China also claims Japan's hold over the islands in the East China Sea.
As per a report from Sciencenet, the observation platform will investigate the undersea physical, chemical and geological dynamics, and will also be used for other purposes.
At an offshore drilling project led by Chinese scientists, 33 scientists from 13 countries including the United States, France, Italy and Japan left Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on February 7 for the South China Sea. They have already completed the first drilling task of the expedition to the South China Sea.
The first hole, identified as U1499A, has reached 3,770 meters below sea level, to collect sediment samples. The second drill, close to the first hole, has begun and is likely to gather information from the sediment core.
Scientists will explore the lithosphere extension during the continental breakup, by drilling four sites to a depth of 3,000 to 4,000 meters in the northern area of the South China Sea.
The study will contribute to understanding how marginal basins grow. For this, a total of 66 scientists from 13 countries will participate in the expeditions.
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