Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/01
By: Tsai Peng-min and Chi Jo-yao

Photo courtesy of Taiwan Ocean Research Institute

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) Taiwan’s largest research vessel will bring back extensive oceanographic and meteorological data on the South China Sea when it returns to Taiwan on Tuesday after completing its first research voyage, the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) said Monday.

NARLabs’ “RV Legend” will arrive at Anping Harbor in Tainan after a 25-day trip aimed at collecting data on the evolution of the sea’s basin, the formation of tsunamis, and the weather of the Western Pacific Ocean, according to an NARLabs statement.

The ship collected data on the sea’s mid-ocean ridge, magmatic activity, and underwater boundary between the Earth’s crust and mantle that will offer “unprecedented and high-quality scientific data” on why the sea’s floor stopped splitting apart some 15 million years ago, the NARLabs said.

Another aspect of the ship’s research was capturing data on a 4,000-meter mountain in the middle of the ocean using a multi-beam echo sounding system that generated a digital underwater terrain model.    [FULL  STORY]