Nitrogen experiment among breakthroughs

The voyage taken by the research ship Tan Suo Yi Hao to the Marianas Trench from late June until Aug 12 made a series of breakthroughs in deep-sea scientific exploration, both domestically and internationally, according to scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The breakthroughs include a successful nitrogen cycle experiment conducted by the Yuanwei Shiyan (“on-site experiment”) deep-sea elevator, a research device that is lowered with an anchor and was developed by the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering of CAS.

“It made history among similar devices internationally,” said Liu Xincheng, the CAS scientist who headed the expedition.

According to Liu, the Tianya deep-sea lander, another device taken on the voyage, also made history. It collected deep-sea water samples of more than 100 liters for the first time — more than counterparts from other countries.

During the voyage, China’s unmanned submersible, the Haidou, dived for the first time to a depth of more than 10,000 meters, reaching 10,767 meters.

Jiaolong, China's manned submersible, reached a depth of 7,062 meters in the Marianas Trench in June 2012.

Bai Chunli, president of CAS, said the breakthroughs are part of China’s exploration of the sea at a depth of 10,000 meters, which is among the key projects of the country’s 13th Five Year Plan (2016-20).