The ISA has approved two plans of work for exploration for polymetallic sulphides in the international deep seabed Area. China Ocean Minerals Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA), and the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment of the Russian Federation which submitted their applications on 7 May 2010 and on 24 December 2010 respectively.
Press Releases
New deep-sea hot springs discovered in the Atlantic
Scientists from the MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen on board the German research vessel Meteor have discovered a new hydrothermal vent 500 kilometres south-west of the Azores. The vent with chimneys as high as one meter and fluids with temperatures up to 300oC was found at 1000m water depth in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery of the new deep-sea vent is remarkable because the area in which it was found has been intensively studied during previous research cruises.
InterRidge to sign Letter of Agreement with UNEP/GRID-Arendal
InterRidge is pleased to announce a Letter of Agreement (LoA) to be signed with GRID-Arendal, a collaborating center of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The GRID (Global Resource Information Database) center, recognized worldwide for its role in bridging the gap between science and policy, is based in Arendal, Norway
(http://www.grida.no/). The objective of the LoA is to establish a framework for cooperation between UNEP/GRID-Arendal and InterRidge.
