China helps to name world beneath waves

China's deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong conducts scientific exploration in the southwestern Indian Ocean in December.[Photo/Xinhua]

Country's role underlines the scale of its oceanic exploration and research

When most people hear the name Niao Chao, or "Bird's Nest", they immediately think of the National Stadium in Beijing, the site of the 2008 Olympic Games. However, there is another, less-famous Bird's Nest related to China: a 250-meter-high mound, nearly 3,000 meters below the surface of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The hill, a small volcano, was discovered by the Chinese research vessel Dayang Yihao in August 2008. The name was suggested by its sunken summit, which resembles a sports arena, coupled with the then-ongoing Olympics.
Since 2010, when China first became involved in the naming of undersea features, 56 of the names it has submitted have been approved by the Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names, an influential body in the field and a branch of the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans, an international group of experts specializing in the development of submarine data.
The ability to name such features is a good indication of China's ability to explore the deepest water, and its willingness to serve the international community, according to the State Oceanic Administration.
On Oct 9, the SOA suggested 124 new Chinese names for seabed areas in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Thirteen of them were approved at the annual meeting of the sub-committee, which is currently underway in Niteroi, Brazil.
Li Bo, deputy director of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association－the official organization engaged in exploration and development of the ocean floor and subsoil－said the country's participation in the naming of undersea features has risen