WELLINGTON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Two New Zealand Crown Research Institutes are to research a South Pacific chain of underwater volcanoes in partnership with a United States organization.
The New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences ( GNS Science) and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) will use equipment provided by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, to explore a chain of volcanoes stretching more than 1000 km northeast from White Island, located in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
The Kermadec Arc is where some of the world's most active submarine volcanoes and hydrothermal vents are located, as well as a wide range of marine life, Radio New Zealand reported on Wednesday.
A joint statement said it was hoped the first survey will be undertaken in 12-18 months.
The New Zealand-U.S. Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) for Science and Technology Co-operation meeting was held on Jan. 25-26 in New Zealand, about 30 U.S. scientists attended the meeting.
Key New Zealand participants included Ian Ferguson, the chief scientist at Plant and Food Research, Tim Naish, the principal scientist at GNS Science, and NIWA principal scientist Malcolm Clark.
The JCM has featured six workshops covering bioenergy, electrical grids, Antarctic science, agriculture and food Innovation, ocean and marine sciences, and climate and the Pacific.
