Yustian Rovi Alfiansah, one of the BRIN researchers, said in a press release in Jakarta on Sunday (24/3/2024) that the research was carried out by four Indonesian researchers and some Chinese researchers. He said the research was carried out in the hadal zone of the Central Java Trench and covered 3,200 km of the waters, from southern Sumatra to Nusa Tenggara.
Alfiansah said the expedition was carried out by the BRIN's Directorate of Research Ship Fleet Management, in collaboration with the Institute for Deep Sea Research and Engineering (IDSSE) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He added that the expedition used the Tan Suo Yi Hao research vessel and the Fendouzhe research submarine.
"This research aims to explore the richness of deep-sea biodiversity that benefits Indonesia and to obtain new information regarding the unique geology, biology, and environment of the Sunda subduction zone, as well as its potential impact on the Hadal ecosystem in the Java Trench," he said.
From this expedition, the researchers obtained a number of samples. The samples included three sea cucumbers, six sediment cores, and six boulders.
"The next more challenging task is to carry out further analysis of the samples, store and maintain them, process the data, and disseminate them to the public," he said.
