Scientists Set Sail on Antarctic Mission
30 Jan 2008
A team of scientists from New Zealand and Italy is on its way to Antarctica's northern coast.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark says the 26 scientists are part of an ongoing study of worldwide marine biodiversity.
The 55 day voyage on board the RV Tangaroa is part of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), a branch of the Census for Marine Life project, which is looking at life in the oceans over a ten year period.
Miss Clark says the scientists will collect samples of sea life and also capture images of the sea floor down to depths of 13,000 feet (about 4,000 meters) in previously unexplored areas.
"The data collected will assist decision-making on environmental issues such as climate change and its effect on Southern Ocean ecosystems," she said.
The trip is also part of International Polar Year, which aims to advance scientific understanding of the Arctic and Antarctic regions, including how the Poles interact with global climate systems.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the voyage would provide essential information about the biodiversity and functioning of the Ross Sea ecosystem off the Antarctic coast that would help safeguard its long-term ecological viability.
In 2007 scientists announced that they found more than 700 new species in the waters surrounding Antarctica, including heart-shaped sea urchins, carnivorous sponges, and giant sea spiders the size of dinner plates.
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