MIDAS First Annual meeting takes places in the Azores
On 20-24 October 2014, over 70 scientists gathered to share the results of the first 12 months' work in the MIDAS project. Braving the tail-end of Hurricane Gonzalo to convene on San Miguel island in the Azores, the group spent 5 days presenting their work from the first year of the project, analysing data, debating results and planning the work for the next 12 month period. To date, MIDAS has benefitted from 15 research cruises to various sites where experiments have been deployed, data collected and samples taken. Further expeditions will take place during 2015, including a number of cruises to the Clarion Clipperton Zone and the DISCOL area in the Pacific.
The annual meeting also hosted the first gathering of the MIDAS Advisory Board, where independent scientific experts, industry representatives and the International Seabed Authority gave feedback on the project's progress to date.
Above: Participants on the MIDAS fieldtrip in the Azores