Construction begins on cold-seep research facility

China has begun construction of a deep-sea research platform in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, marking a major step in the country's efforts to explore extreme marine environments and develop sustainable ocean resources.

The Research Facility of Cold-seep Ecosystems, led by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is scheduled for completion within five years.

The project will combine a manned deep-sea laboratory on the ocean floor with advanced land-based simulation systems. The hybrid design is intended to allow long-term, high-precision studies of cold-seep ecosystems — unique biological communities that thrive in darkness and under extreme pressure, where methane and other chemicals seep from the seafloor. These ecosystems, often called deep-sea oases, support species such as tube worms, clams and rare corals that rely on chemical energy rather than sunlight.