MTR100: Deep-sea Mining May Prove Pivotal in the Climate Change Discussion
. Early volleys in the deep-sea debate begins have included many scientists and governments agreeing that it’s premature to begin mining; too little is known about the seabed and its ecosystems, and the long-term impacts of mining are impossible to determine at this point. On September 8, French Polynesia became the most recent territory to call for a ban on DSM, calling out their “cousins of the Pacific”—Kiribati, Nauru and the Cook Islands—for pushing forward with mining despite only having explored about 5% of the seabed. “If we have to examine what’s on
NASA, KSLOF Partner to Fast-track Coral Reef Mapping
to develop effective conservation strategies such as marine protected areas if you don’t know what you’re conserving. These maps fill that gap and have the potential to benefit coral reef ecosystems, and the people who depend upon them, for generations to come.”Maria Est Atoll in French Polynesia was surveyed and mapped by KSLOF scientists on the Global Reef Expedition. Copyright Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF
Manatua Consortium Approves Cable Lay
has approved the final stages of planning for the installation of the Manatua – One Polynesia Cable. The new optical fiber submarine cable will span the South Pacific transforming speed, capacity, resilience and affordability. The six landings will be in Tahiti and Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, Apia, Samoa and Niue. It is the first fiber connectivity to Niue and the Cook Islands. Manatua is a groundbreaking collaboration initiated in April 2017 with the signing of an international treaty by the President of French Polynesia,
SubCom: Manatua Cable Contract is in Force
Niue, Cook Island and Bora BoraSubCom and the Manatua Consortium announced the contract is in force for the supply and installation of the Manatua submarine cable system. The Manatua Consortium is composed of: The Office des Postes et Télécommunications (OPT), the telecoms operator of French Polynesia; Avaroa Cables Limited (ACL), the cable operator of Cook Islands, Telecom Niue Limited (TNL), the telecoms operator of Niue; and Samoa Submarine Cable Company (SSCC), the cable operator of the Independent State of Samoa. The Manatua Cable will provide connections from Apia, Samoa to Toahotu
Universities and Dive Teams use Underwater Metal Detectors
the effects of restoration, ecotoxicology and ocean resource management on marine communities. One area of interest is in the impact of ecological and oceanographic processes on coral populations. This interest led the professor to become involved a long term coral reef research project in Moorea, French Polynesia with the goal of developing new techniques for reef management and restoration. As part of this work Lenihan and his team are isolating and cultivating disease resistant abalone in an effort to increase their numbers. To gather the needed data researchers must examine the health of many individual
February 2024
