Ready Response

Fluorescine dye stood in for oil in a recent test of a new system to track oil spills underwater using a REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), visible in the background. When completed, engineers intend for the DHS-funded system to include a long-range AUV capable of being deployed from almost any vessel and of operating for weeks with little or no intervention. It would give decision-makers on shore access to real-time data round-the-clock, from almost any spill site—including remote, hostile locations like the Arctic Ocean. (Photo by Sean Whelan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)