On December 24, 2022, China Ocean 75 Voyage (the second voyage of Beijing Pioneer) organized and implemented by the Second Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources successfully completed the maritime survey task. The voyage lasted for 4 months. The engineer served as the chief scientist, and 10 scientific researchers from the Submarine Science Laboratory, Marine Ecosystem Dynamics Laboratory and Ship Transportation Management Center participated in the on-site work, and 21 domestic scientific research and technical support units participated together.
This voyage carried out the exploration and evaluation of polymetallic nodule resources in key blocks of the Western Pacific Mining Area, collected multiple types of baseline data from environmental comprehensive stations, and carried out the full-function test of the “Insight” AUV and the “Manta” floating march Feasibility verification of conventional tuberculosis sampling technology.
The voyage completed a total of 139 fixed-point operations and 24 survey lines. The system collected parameters such as nodule abundance, coverage, and optical coverage in the area, and preliminarily verified the two types of “slope type” and “plain type” proposed earlier. The types of nodule deposits provide theoretical support for the exploration of polymetallic nodule resources in the Western Pacific Ocean. A wide variety of environmental baseline data and samples were collected, including microorganisms, macrobenthic organisms, scavengers, landforms, sediment characteristics, etc.
The “Insight” AUV carried out multiple test dives, completed a full-function test of the system at a water depth of 5,000 meters, and realized stable navigation and optical measurements near the bottom of 5 meters in a deep seabed at a water depth of 5,100 meters, and obtained high-definition images near the seabed. photo data. The “Manta” has carried out underwater tests for multiple dives and completed 34 groups of nodule sampling tests, with a maximum test water depth of 5,600 meters. The test results show that the “Manta” has good adaptability to different substrate environments and nodule types in the mining area, with high nodule collection efficiency and low sediment disturbance depth. This technology will provide a new technical idea for efficient exploration and green mining in the deep sea in the future.
