The Chinese government wants to build a large,
state of the art facility.
Underwater.
Bloomberg reports that Chinese officials are
fast tracking a plan to build a large underwater
platform in the South China Sea.
It would be similar to a space station, only
this one would be at the bottom of the ocean
floor, some 3,000 meters or about 10,000 feet
beneath the waves.
Why build a Sea Lab?
It’s not because they think it’s better
where it’s wetter.
According to Chinese officials, the plan is
to build a large, movable facility in an effort
to search for valuable minerals and rare earth
metals.
For the last several years, rare earth metals
have played an important part in China’s
economic growth.
Our computers and electronics require these
materials and demand is high.
But not everyone is sure that the proposed
sea lab
would have much luck mining more of them.
According to the American Security Project,
estimates of rare earth metals in the region
are unreliable.
They may be plentiful under the ocean floor
or it might be a bust.
It may turn out that the sea lab focuses more
on harvesting oil and natural gas instead.
Another possibility is that the facility will
serve in some military capacity.
Chinese officials deny that a military application
is the primary purpose for the sea lab but
have said that it could perform some military
functions in addition to mining operations.
And since the South China Sea is a disputed
area that numerous countries wish to access,
an underwater lab might be just the thing
China needs to secure a claim.
It’s unlikely such a lab would be able to
move about undetected.
Instead, it might serve as a deterrent -- a
threat that says back off, this is mine.
Supporting this idea is the fact that China
revised passports in 2012 to show a map of
China’s borders, which included areas that
are internationally disputed.
And there have been incidents in the region
that point to China interfering with the activities
of other nations, though the Chinese government
denies this was done intentionally.
Whatever the motivation, if China builds an
underwater lab it won’t be the first.
The famous scientist Jacques Cousteau oversaw
the construction and deployment of three underwater
habitats in the 1960s.
Then there’s Aquarius, a lab off the Florida
Keys that concentrates on marine biology research.
You can even book a night’s stay at a former
sea lab -- what used to be the La Chalupa
Research Laboratory is now the Jules’ Undersea
Lodge in Key Largo, Florida.
Whether China will actually build a large
underwater lab remains to be seen.
If it does, you can bet the international
community will keep a close watch on what
happens next.
That’s all for today!
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