Joint Deep Sea Exploration Yields Significant Finds

UNCLAS MANILA 003482 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES STATE PASS USAID USDOC FOR NOAA/NMMS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV TPHY KSCA EAID RP SUBJECT: Joint Deep Sea Exploration Yields Significant Finds Ref: Manila 3262 ¶1. Summary: Filipino and American SCIENTISTS collected over 100 animal specimens in the previously unexplored deep waters near Mindanao from October 3 to October 16, 2007. The Ambassador, high school students, and Philippine and international press greeted the successful expedition's return from this USG-funded research project. Results have been prominently reported on local television and in local and international press. National Geographic Television and the National Geographic Magazine will dedicate a television special and magazine article to the discoveries within a year. Embassy support for the event has received praise from local scientists and educators. End summary. ¶2. The "Coral Triangle" between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia is the world's center of marine biodiversity. Eight Filipino and twenty American SCIENTISTS on the Philippine ship "Presbitero" took inventory of species in the Celebes Sea (known as Sulawesi Sea on some international maps) at various depths, using multiple collection methods. Little was known about the Celebes Basin, which drops rapidly to over five miles deep. The cutting-edge technologies employed allowed samples from the ocean floor down to over three miles. This was the first scientific expedition to use this combination of collection methods and the first utilization of a newly-invented holographic plankton imaging system. ¶3. SCIENTISTS took DNA samples for further study to determine which animals qualify as new species or sub-species. The most unusual finds were snatched by the remotely operated vehicle. A bright red swimming sea cucumber, a stunningly beautiful worm with a row of paddles and flowing tentacles, and a black opaque jelly were some of the more unusual finds collected at depth. ¶4. Our Embassy Science Officer accompanied the expedition and made many valuable contributions, including precise electronic records on collecting methods, the longitude and latitude for each sampling, and event logs which can be found at http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/welcome.html; "2007: Exploring the Inner Space of the Celebes Sea." The Science Officer also joined a diving team to collect animals in depths to 120 feet. ¶5. After ten days of intensive exploration, the Presbitero returned to Manila Bay. The Ambassador (and a brass band, high school students, journalists, and many others) met the ship and highlighted this successful model of international cooperation in extending the boundaries of scientific knowledge. The SCIENTISTS briefed the Ambassador, the administrator of the Philippine mapping agency, the press, and high school students with a slide show that highlighted some major findings of the exploration. Outreach will continue as the Embassy staff goes back to schools and civic organizations to showcase the rich biodiversity and environmental lessons revealed by this exploration. KENNEY