Co-organizers:

Sponsor:

Macau Foundation

Venue:

Macao Science Center

Target Participants / Audience:

Macao citizens, teachers and students with interest in science topics, environment and sustainability, and local and international researchers

Introduction:

The deep-sea ocean remains vastly unexplored due to the technical challenges of researching this extreme environment. However, recent technological advances have allowed the discovery of unexpected oasis of life near geologically active areas - the deep-sea hydrothermal vents. The spectacular images of the geological features and of the fauna associated with hydrothermal vents generates a great interest by the general public (including young students) allowing at the same time explaining the importance that these scientific discoveries can have for the future of humankind.
                           
Visitors of the event “The Earth Last Frontier” to be held on the Macao Science Museum during the month of May will learn about deep-ocean science research, exploratory technologies, the amazing discoveries of the last decades and the importance of these new discoveries to science and society.

“The Earth’s Last Frontier” events:
 May 2015: Exhibition of HD images and videos about the deep-sea systems acquired by international teams with deep-sea submersibles and ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles)
 
Examples of the Deep-sea Photos
 Underwater images taken by ROVs and submersibles at depths between 1000-5000m. It is expected to set up an exhibition of a selection of the best high definition (HD) images of deep-sea hydrothermal vent and animals found around black smokers, collected at oceanographic missions undertaken in different oceans, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, showing the deep-sea life and the hydrothermal vent sites and animals from the deep-sea.

Speaker:

Prof. Ágata Sofia Alveirinhos Dias  (Associate Professor and Researcher in the Institute of Science and Environment Research Center (ISE) from the University of Saint Joseph (USJ))

Date & Time:

8  May 2015, 18:00 - 19:00

Language:

English

Venue:

Convention Hall, Macao Science Center

Speaker profile:

Associate Professor and Researcher at ISE, USJ (Macao). Research collaborator at Inst. Dom Luiz (IDL) / Assoc. Lab. (Portugal). After her graduation in Geology, she took a Master in Dynamic Geology at the University of Lisbon and afterwards a PhD in Geology at the same university, followed by two periods of Post-Doctoral research activities related with deep-sea ore deposits. Since an early stage of her research activities, she has been participating in research cruises, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arctic Sea, mainly focused in the investigation of the deep-sea floor. During these scientific missions she had the opportunity to participate in the exciting discovery of new hydrothermal fields.

Abstract  of the talk:

Introduction to “The Earth’s Last Frontier”. Surprisingly, 12 astronauts have walked on the moon and many more have been travelling into space but so far only 3 explorers have reached the deepest part of the ocean and 95% of its area remains unexplored, unseen by human eyes. Indeed, important technological advances in the last decades have contributed for amazing unexpected discoveries at the deep-sea but surely most of its mysteries remain hidden in the vast ocean.
                           
The deep-ocean is mainly covered by abyssal plains that have an average depth of 5000m and can reach depths as deep as 11000m, hiding amazing geological and biological secrets. One of the most significant discoveries made in the past decades were the hydrothermal vent fields and their unexpected associated living creatures, adapted to extreme environments, characterized by a total absence of light, high pressure and toxic condition.

The talk will provide an overview of how much of the ocean we have explored so far, the technologies used in deep-sea exploration and the characteristics of hydrothermal vent fields. Overall, it will provide an exciting perspective of the evolution of scientific endeavours into the Earth’s last frontier, the deep-sea.

Speaker:

Prof. Fernando F. J. A. Barriga (Chair Professor of the University of Lisbon, Portugal)

Date & Time:

8 May  2015, 19:00 - 20:00

Language:

English

Venue:

Convention Hall, Macao Science Center

Speaker profile:

Emeritus Professor of Faculty of Sciences of  the University of Lisbon and member of Academy of Sciences of Lisbon.  Specialist on deep seafloor resources. Has participated in the discovery of  seafloor hydrothermal vents in three oceans, and in many cruises at sea,  including serving as co-chief scientist in an ODP leg in Papua New Guinea.                                
                               
 In April 2013 addressed the  STOA (European Parliament) on the future of seafloor resources; in September  2014 was “Co-Chair and Host” at the 43rd Underwater Mining  Institute; in October 2014 argued in favor of submarine mining for the Italian  Presidency of the European Union; in February 2015 was invited speaker in the  Deep Sea Mining Summit in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Abstract  of the talk:

Since the 19th century there is interest in  exploiting the resources formed in the deep seafloor. The Sea Law was conceived  to regulate the recovery of manganese nodules. Beside nodules, there are  polymetallic crusts, massive sulfides, methane hydrates, metalliferous  sediments, and still others, including phosphates and the deep biosphere. Not  to mention conventional oil and gas, obviously.
                             
With the exception of the latter, very little  is actually extracted and some (both scientists and industrialists) believe  that it will not be easy that subsea mining operations are profitable, while  others are more optimistic. The greatest difficulties are the technologies for  extraction, and the environmental risks, which may be large. Where should we stand? When  will deep seafloor mining be a reality?

Speaker:

Prof. Aldino Santos de Campos (Head of the Task Group for the Portuguese Continental Shelf Extension (EMEPC))

Date & Time:

9 May 2015, 17:00 - 18:00

Language:

English

Venue:

Convention Hall, Macao Science Center

Speaker profile:

Head  of the Portuguese Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf. Aldino  Campos holds a degree in Naval Military Sciences from the Portuguese Naval  Academy. He served in the Portuguese Navy in several hydrographic ships. He  also served in the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute mostly as hydrographer and  data management officer. He also holds a MEng in Geodesy and Geomatics  Engineering from University of New Brunswick (Canada) and Phd in Territory  Engineering from (IST, Lisbon). He coordinated the geomatics component of the  Portuguese submission of the continental shelf, mainly in hydrography, geodesy  and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He is also teaches Spatial Data  Management and GIS at the Portuguese Naval Academy.

Abstract  of the talk:

In the scope of the Extension of the  continental shelf of Portugal, the Task Group (EMEPC) responsible to prepare  its submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf,  acquired a state-of-the-art technology that allowed to identify and collect  selective geological samples to support the national submission. This  technology, a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), named LUSO, has the capability  to explore the deep-ocean up to 6,000 metre depth. Loaded with several  multi-tasked instruments, the ROV LUSO has been engaged in missions that are  beyond the primary mission of EMEPC. This ROV has been collecting numerous HD  images and videos from the Portuguese deep-sea floor and has also acquired  different kinds of data (chemical, geological, biological and geophysical),  thus contributing for recent advances in deep-sea science.

The implementation of this  technology in Portugal is also a successful example of capacity building,  allowing Portugal to affirm itself as a key player in the exploration of  deep-sea at international level.

Speaker:

Prof. LIU Feng, (Secretary-General of China’s Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association - COMRA)

Date & Time:

9 May 2015, 18:00 - 19:00

Language:

Mandarin

Venue:

Convention Hall, Macao Science Center

Speaker profile:

Prof.  Feng LIU received a Bachelor Degree for Mining Machinery Engineering from  Beijing Institute of Iron and Steel Technology (BIST) in 1983 and a Master  Degree from Beijing University of Science and Technology (BUST) in 1986, and a  MBA Degree from an EMBA Program jointly held by the State University of New  York at Buffalo and China Renmin University in 2002. He worked as a lecturer at  BUST in 1986-1991, then he joined China’s Ocean Mineral Resources R&D  Association (COMRA) when the organization was first established. Since his  integration in COMRA, he has been involved in the international seabed issues  and has participated in International Seabed Authority’s Annual Conference many  times. He has been leading a national key project called development of  Prof. Feng LIU was the Deputy  Director-General of COMRA when he left the Association and was appointed Director-General  of China’s National Deep Sea Center in August 2012. He returned to COMRA last  June and now serves as the Secretary-General of the Association.

Abstract  of the talk:

China is one of the main contributors to the  international seabed regimes. The Presentation will describe China’s activities  in the Area, such as exploration, technology development, environmental  protection and policy making.
                             
 Until now, 26 exploration CONTRACTs have been  made by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) with relevant entities in the  world. Among them, three CONTRACTs were made with COMRA. Furthermore, China  Minmetals Corporation’s application for another exploration CONTRACT area has  been approved by ISA’s legal and technical commission recently, which means  that China will sign the fourth CONTRACT with the ISA.
                             
JIAOLONG is a submersible  with capacity of 7000 meters. JIAOLONG’s sea trials were carefully made in 4  years, from 2009 through 2012 and it successfully dove to a depth of 7062m in  June 2012 at Marianna trench. A so called “Test Application Phase” started thereafter,  and is planned to last for 3-4years. Two cruises and 6 legs have already been  made since then. Plenty of findings were retrieved during its dives in the  South China Sea, in COMRA’s Exploration CONTRACT Areas of polymetallic nodule,  cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts and hydrothermal sulfide. The presentation  will reveal the colourful findings in the above mentioned deep seabed  areas. 

May 2015: Interactive activities in a temporary pool with a mini-ROV from the Portuguese EMEPC (“Estrutura de Missão para a Extensão da Plataforma Continental”).                              
                             
The EMEPC has already agreed to participate in the exhibition with their mini-ROV. This activity generates a great interest by the public, in particular by young visitors, and is a very efficient way to demonstrate some of the methods currently available for deep-sea research.                                  
                             
We propose to set up a temporary pool were some interactive activities will be prepared. Using simple tools, but somewhat similar to a normal ROV (like a navigation joystick and monitors), the general public can experience how the deep-sea exploration is performed.
                             
 Photos from previous interactive activities using the mini-ROV from the EMEPC.
                             
Participants in the activities
ROV pilot: António Calado (ROV Luso Project coordinator from EMPC)
Deep-sea activities: Raquel Costa (Kit do Mar Project coordinatorfrom EMEPC).