A simulated picture of the cold seeps ecosystem research facility Photo: Liu Caiyu/GT

China on Friday announced the official launch of a deep-sea research megaproject in Guangzhou,MKS sports South China's Guangdong Province, designed to support cutting-edge fundamental research and development in exploring the origins of life in extreme deep-sea environments of the South China Sea and the green development of deep-sea resources such as combustible ice. 

Led by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SCSIO), the cold seeps ecosystem research facility comprises three key components, including a crewed deep-sea laboratory capable of operating at depths of 2,000 meters for up to 30 days, the Global Times learned from the institute.

The institute told the Global Times that conducting research on a cold seeps ecosystem is the best entry point for the green development of combustible ice and deep-sea scientific research.

The facility will provide support for the study of the development of cold seeps ecosystems, chemotrophic biological succession, methane phase evolution, and their environmental effects. 

Once completed, the cold seeps facility will serve as a supporting platform for cutting-edge fundamental research and high-tech development in exploring the origins of life in extreme deep-sea environments and the green development of deep-sea resources such as combustible ice. This will mark a key step from China in the field of deep-sea scientific research, the institute said.

The facility comprises three key components: a deep-sea laboratory, an authentic simulation subsystem, and a support and guarantee subsystem.

Deep-sea laboratory Photo: Wang Xin

The deep-sea laboratory, weighing 600 tons, can operate at depths of up to 2,000 meters. It can accommodate a crew of six and sustain underwater operations for up to 30 days without resurfacing.

This lab - a hybrid of crewed and unmanned technologies - is capable of using advanced underwater sensors to "capture" critical scientific phenomena at cold seeps sites. It can also conduct real-time experiments, perform in-situ cultivation of deep-sea organisms and collect high-fidelity samples. Researchers can also execute precision tasks and analyze data onboard.

The authentic simulation subsystem Photo: Wang Xin

By leveraging observational data, the authentic simulation subsystem conducts comprehensive simulations to reconstruct the formation and extraction processes of combustible ice, as well as the full lifecycle evolution of cold seeps ecosystems.

The third part of this facility is the support and guarantee subsystem, which is primarily composed of a surface support mothership, as well as a research and smart management center.

The mothership, a key component of the support and guarantee subsystem Photo: Wang Xin

The mothership, with a displacement of 9,380 tons, is capable of deploying, retrieving and providing operational support for the 600-ton deep-sea laboratory. This subsystem is designed to ensure the system's daily operation, maintenance and scientific research activities.

Zhang Xin, a research fellow from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, who is also involved in the project, told the Global Times that simply referring to the facility as a "deep-sea" space station would be inaccurate, as it consists of three interconnected parts.

However, similar to a space station, the deep-sea laboratory incorporates some concepts inspired by space station technology, such as life support systems, including oxygen supply programs. Space station technology research teams will also participate in the project, Zhang said.

The entire project will take about five years to finish. The first four years will focus on the engineering design and the physical construction of the facility. The final year will involve system testing, equipment calibration and operational validation through marine trials to ensure functionality under real-world conditions.

Technological breakthrough
 
The facility is the first major national scientific and technological infrastructure combining both marine and land elements, developed independently by China, the institute said.

Through the construction and operation of the cold seeps facility, the project will achieve breakthroughs in a series of key core technologies, including deep-sea manned long-duration stay experiments, safety of large deep-sea pressure-resistant structures, large-scale titanium alloy processing techniques, and deep-water docking systems. 

"Cold seeps" refer to underwater areas where gases, such as methane, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, seep from the seafloor into the ocean, driven by geological shifts or pressure changes. 

Often called "oases of the deep sea," the cold seeps ecosystem refers to a unique ecosystem in the dark depths of the ocean where marine organisms utilize chemicals (such as methane and sulfates) seeping from the seabed as carbon sources and energy for chemosynthesis. This ecosystem thrives in an environment characterized by darkness, high pressure, and low oxygen levels. 

Cold seeps provide carbon sources and energy for chemosynthetic autotrophs, sustaining a community of cold seeps organisms that rely on these autotrophic bacteria as the foundation of the food chain, serving as primary producers. 

A diverse range of organisms, including tube worms, clams, mussels, crustaceans, polychaetes, as well as echinoderms like starfish and sea urchins, crabs, cold-water corals, and fish flourish on this basis. To date, scientists have discovered over 600 species of organisms in cold seeps ecosystems.

Research on cold seeps and their ecosystems has been a focal point of international attention. 

In terms of climate change, methane gas from cold seeps areas is a significant source of greenhouse gases, which has the potential to become a commercial energy source in the future. The leakage of methane from these areas has a substantial impact on global climate and ecological environments, making their protection crucial. 

Furthermore, organisms found in cold seeps may have the ability to synthesize compounds that are important for biomedicine, offering immense scientific value. So far, scientists have identified more than 600 species in the cold seeps ecosystem, according to the institute.

The cold seeps facility is a multidisciplinary, large-scale scientific installation. Once completed, it will be open for public sharing and collaboration, according to the institute.

Feng Jingchun, a professor at Guangdong University of Technology and chief technologist of the cold seeps ecosystem research facility, told the Global Times that scientists from other countries and regions are welcome to collaborate on the project. "Science knows no borders," she emphasized.