Rare ocean sediment find reflects scientific teamwork

A research team based in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, shared last week with peers a rare sample of sediment, which they found in the deep area of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, setting an example for the synergy and efficiency of collaborative scientific innovation in China.

Researchers said that the sample, the first of its kind discovered in the world, had been acquired at 8,300 meters of ocean depth and collected in a 3.2-meter core tube, according to a news conference held by the Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), also known as QNLM.

"Sediments in the trench have recorded a host of information on biological activity as well physical and chemical processes during their formation, change and subsidence," said Tian Jiwei, a professor of QNLM, who led the research team.

"The column-like sediment sample in the 10,000-meter trench is the key to further study of deep sea research and it is of great significance to the study of the deep-sea sedimentary environment and dynamic processes," Tian told the conference.

However, the current capability to acquire such column-like samples of sediment is still insufficient and cannot acquire enough samples to meet the needs of deep-sea research, according to Tian.

During the conference, the sample was divided into parts and allocated to 19 research teams respectively from a dozen of research institutions, including Peking University, Xiamen University and the Institute of Oceanology of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

It was the first time for rare samples like this to be shared on a large scale, according to the QNLM.

The users of the samples also signed an agreement on research outcome, data sharing and team cooperation, aiming at highly efficient use of the samples.

Liu Baohua, the QNLM's deputy director, said scientific research and innovation in marine sectors involve different disciplines and cannot be done by only one side.

"As only one pilot national-level laboratory, the QNLM serves as a platform to share resources such as high-performance computing and system simulation, scientific vessels and marine-related drug screening, helping different innovators to cooperate and giving joint efforts together to contribute to China's marine power strategy," said Liu.