The collaboration between the Philippines and China for the exploration in Benham Rise aims to study climate-driving ocean currents
University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) and the Oceanology of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) are set to have research collaboration at the Benham Rise.
The said partnership aims to study the climate-driving ocean current in the area.
Oceanographers from the Chinese institute will board the research vessel Ke Xue and it is estimated to operate within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for “about three to six days,” said in the UP MSI’s statement, based on the report of GMA News Online.
According to the statement of the Philippine institute, an international collaboration is needed in the research about major ocean current system dynamics because it is a very complex task and it requires extensive resources.
Their team up will concentrate in studying the ocean current properties at Benham Rise to further understand the Kuroshio Current which is “responsible for the transport of heat to the rest of the North Pacific and therefore is an important driver of the regional climate and even the El Nino and La Nina cycles,” according to the statement.
Collaborating with other different countries to have combine resources is also beneficial for studies with long-term measurements.
By studying the Kuroshio Current over a long period of time, this will help scientists to understand its role on climate and assist them in developing predictive models.
UP MSI said that it will help “develop a national oceanographic program that can help address societal demands in understanding the changing climate and ocean processes in partnership with both local and foreign collaborator,” based on the report.
Other details of the research was also revealed in the statement of the Philippine institute such as their “aim to measure temperature, salinity and current distributions in several locations along a line (transect) at 18°N and 8°N” at the country’s northeastern seaboard, where Benham Rise is located.”
UPMSI Statement by gmanews on Scribd