Current Articles and Papers
FREE VEHICLES: Lander Technologies Mature
Deep ocean free vehicles untethered unmanned craft designed for deep ocean research and observation – were first proposed in 1938 by Maurice Ewing, Lamont Observatory, and Allyn Wine, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in their paper “Deep Sea Measurements Without Wires or Cables” published by the American Geophysical Union. Free vehicles…
Autonomous, Retrievable, Deep Sea Microbial Fuel Cell
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) work by providing bacteria in anaerobic sediments with an electron acceptor (anode) that stimulates metabolism of organic matter. The buried anode is connected via control circuitry to a cathode exposed to oxygen in the overlying water…
TECHNOLOGY OF THE DEEPSEA CHALLENGE EXPEDITION
(Part 1 of 3: The Landers)
Virtually all oceanography has been done in the upper 6 km of the ocean, and very little in the 5 km below that in the deep region known as the “hadal zone.” Created by the titanic planetary forces of plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and countless unknown species are born there. A lack of access, not interest, has kept the hadal zone…
TECHNOLOGY OF THE DEEPSEA CHALLENGE EXPEDITION
(Part 2 of 3: DEEPSEA CHALLENGER)
Driven by a deep curiosity to explore hidden places, James Cameron’s DEEPSEA CHALLENGE (DSC) Expedition could have claimed the motto “Vade, et vide,” meaning “Go and see.” But to go and see the rolling fields of the lands submerged 7 miles underwater was an unimaginably complex effort led by a single, passionate visionary. The challenges were huge…
TECHNOLOGY OF THE DEEPSEA CHALLENGE EXPEDITION
(Part 3 of 3: DEEPSEA CHALLENGER )
This required a gut check of epic proportions. “When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you,” understood German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in 1886. With that, Explorer and Filmmaker James Cameron radioed the command to release the surface flotation and began his journey downward solo inside DEEPSEA CHALLENGER (DSC) to take on the towering odds against surviving the…
OCEAN ENGINEERING 101:
Moisture Control in Subsea Housings
Excess water vapor in a sealed housing can cause system failure at depth. Condensation due to cold temperatures can fog a camera viewport or short circuit electronic boards. It can cost a researcher his data, “The Shot” from a camera, or even the instrument itself. Prudent designers will provide a means to proactively remove entrained moisture before deployment…
Elsevier:
Submersible- and lander-observed community patterns in the Mariana and New Britain trenches: Influence of productivity and depth on epibenthic and scavenging communities
Deep-sea trenches remain one of the least explored ocean ecosystems due to the unique challenges of sampling at great depths. Five submersible dives conducted using the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible generated video of undisturbed deep-sea communities at bathyal, abyssal, and hadal depths … In addition, the scavenger community was studied using paired lander deployments to the New Britain and Mariana trenches…
Ocean News and Technology:
Surface Detection For Recovery of UUVs
It was only in the middle of the 20th century that untethered free vehicles became possible with advances in floatation materials. Free vehicles operate independently from any surface vessel and, more recently, have been referred to as UUVs. These include AUVs, midwater floats…
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