Integrated Research on the Mid-oceanic Ridge by Internationally Co-operated Expeditions

该项目将InterRidge Japan作为InterRidge International project的一部分进行推广，并提供资金支持，用于支付InterRidge会员费用（每年2 - 2.5万美元）、日本脊科学家参加国内和国际中大洋脊研究游船和InterRidge指导委员会、InterRidge专题讨论会、研讨会和理论研究所等InterRidge会议的旅费，以及邀请外国脊研究科学家。通过这些支持，日本与英国、美国、法国、德国等5个主要成员国一起，对“InterRidge”（目前有29个成员国）做出了主要贡献。该项目的两名成员被任命为InterRidge指导委员会的成员。在此计划的部分资助下，在四年内进行了14次中大洋研究巡航。研究领域包括海洋地质、海洋地球物理、水地球化学、海洋生物学、海洋技术等。日本在热液地球化学、海洋微生物学和海洋技术等领域作出了特别贡献。根据西太平洋马里亚纳海槽热液活动的程度，安装了三分量磁力计的AUV（自主水下航行器）考察演示了地壳的退磁现象。IODP Juan de Fuca ridge钻井证明了洋中脊周围洋壳的区域水循环，该项目为该钻井提供了部分资金支持。在西南印度洋脊的合作考察中，发现了海底大面积的地幔岩暴露，揭示了极低岩浆活动的超慢扩张体系的基本机制。2006年，我们在印度中脊的热液区进行了潜水研究巡航，成功地获得了有价值的微生物和热液矿化样本，目前正在进行分析。

This project promoted InterRidge Japan as a part of InterRidge International Project with the financial supports for the payment of member's fee of InterRidge (20,000-25,000 US$ annually), travels of Japanese ridge scientists for participating domestic and international mid-oceanic ridge research cruises and InterRidge meetings such as an InterRidge steering committee, InterRidge Symposiums, Workshops, and Theoretical Institutes, and for inviting foreign ridge research scientists. By these supports Japan made a principal contribution to the InterRidge (current number of the member countries is 29) as one of five principal member countries with UK, US, France, and Germany. Two members of this projects are appointed as members of the InterRidge Steering Committee. During four years, 14 mid-oceanic research cruises were conducted with the partial financial supports by this project. The research fields cover marine geology, marine geophysics, water geochemistry, marine biology, and ocean technology. Japan specially contributed in the fields of hydrothermal geochemistry, marine microbiology, and ocean technology. AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) expedition with three-component magnetometer installed demonstrated the demagnetization of the crust according to the extent of hydrothermal activity at the Mariana Trough in the Western Pacific. Regional water circulation in the oceanic crusts around the mid-oceanic ridge was evidenced by IODP Juan de Fuca Ridge drilling for which this project made partial financial support. The cooperated expedition research at the Southwestern Indian Ridge found wide exposures of mantle rocks on the sea floor which suggest a fundamental mechanism of ultra-slow spreading system with very low magmatism. In 2006 diving research cruises were conducted at the hydrothermal area at the Central Indian Ridge and we succeeded to obtain valuable samples of microbiology and hydrothermal mineralization which analyses are currently ongoing.