Brazil is launching itself into world-class ocean science with a new research ship. At a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro last month, Brazil unveiled its largest and most advanced scientific platform built for the high seas—a $77.5 million research vessel that scientists here hope will take them farther and deeper into the Atlantic Ocean than they have ever ventured. Brazil is finally ready to start doing "grown-up" ocean science, says Andrei Polejack of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in Brasília. "We are very anxious to put this ship to work and start filling some of the big data gaps that still exist in the South Atlantic Ocean." But some academics worry that prospecting for mineral resources will dominate research aboard the ship, which was two-thirds funded by Petrobras and Vale, Brazil's largest oil and mining companies. |
