Technical preparation and prototype development for long-term cabled seafloor observatories in Chinese marginal seas

Abstract

Understanding the ocean is critical to humans; long-term observation is the key. The ocean, whose average depth is about 3800m, covers approximately 70% of the terrestrial surface and has a pervasive influence on the global environment and climate; it is therefore critical to understand the mechanism of the complex interactive processes operating in the ocean (Favali and Beranzoli, 2006; Person et al., 2006; Chave et al., 2006; Wang, 2007; Delaney and Barga, 2009; Ruhl et al., 2011).