Think the Earth

More than 2,000 scientists from over 80 nations are taking part in the Census of Marine Life, and the fourth interim report was published on November 9.

This census, which began in 2000, is a large-scale project that attempts to create an archive of information (like what and how many live where) on marine life all around the world. Lead by the International Scientific Steering Committee comprised by experts from various fields such as life science and the environment, the project aims to compile data on marine life and they aim to release the world's first marine life census in 2010.

The midterm report released indicated that there are hundreds of endemic and rare species in the mid-Atlantic ridge located in between the United States and Europe, and it also highlighted the discovery of ctenophores (comb jelly) that live at a record-breaking depth of 7,200 meters in the Ryukyu Trench near Okinawa. The various findings were introduced at the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity held in Spain from November 11 to 15. And approximately 600 scientists who took part in the conference shared new discoveries about the ocean that never ceases to amaze us.