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Partnership Provides Autonomous Vehicles to Enable New Era of Deep Sea Research
First CATALYST Program Expedition Will Map Vulnerable Deep Coral Reefs
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has partnered with the
Waitt Institute for Discovery to make deep-sea exploration technology
and a world-class operations group broadly available for the
oceanographic community. The collaboration, called the CATALYST
Program, features the Waitt Institute’s two newly-built Hydroid REMUS
6000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), which can explore depths of
up to 6,000 meters, or 3.7 miles, below the ocean’s surface. The
vehicles are capable of conducting hydrographic surveys, environmental
monitoring, debris and field mapping, search and salvage operations,
fishery operations, scientific sampling and seafloor mapping.
WHOI developed and engineered the REMUS AUVs and has assembled a
rapid-response operations team with the expertise to conduct REMUS 6000
expeditions anywhere in the world. The Waitt Institute for Discovery
commissioned the construction of two REMUS 6000 AUVs and directs the
implementation of CATALYST expeditions.
“AUVs are quickly proving to be the most accurate, efficient, and
cost-effective technologies available for exploring the oceans,” said
Ted Waitt, founder and president of the Waitt Institute for Discovery
and founder and former chairman of Gateway, Inc. “We have a shared
objective with WHOI: to accelerate and advance deep-sea exploration,
cutting-edge scientific research and sustainable ocean policy. We
believe the CATALYST Program will make deep-water technology available
to the broader oceanographic community to enable important discoveries
and spawn new areas of research.”
Versatile research tools, the REMUS 6000s can be configured with
different sensor packages tailored to specific missions. The vehicles
are equipped with side-scan sonar, which can cover broad swaths of the
seafloor — up to 750 meters on either side of the vehicle — and high
resolution cameras for detailed up-close imaging. Sensors can also be
added that detect ocean chemistry, such as carbon, oxygen and nitrogen
content. The vehicles can be used for hydrographic surveys,
environmental monitoring, debris and field mapping, search and salvage
operations, fishery operations, scientific sampling, and seafloor
mapping.
The inaugural CATALYST expedition — CATALYST ONE — partners with the
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and launches on Dec. 4, 2008.
Researchers aboard the R/V Seward Johnson will utilize the program’s
AUVs to create the first-ever high definition side-scan sonar maps of
deep-water Lophelia and Oculina coral reefs off the coast of eastern
Florida. These Deep Sea Coral Ecosystems are currently under threat
from destructive bottom trawling, fossil fuel exploration, and
unsustainable fisheries practices. CATALYST ONE will provide
much-needed data to researchers and government officials on potential
sites for designation as Marine Protected Areas and Habitat Areas of
Particular Concern. The expedition will be led by Dr. John Reed of
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, who has been studying and
working to protect these deep corals for over 30 years.
“Through the use of deep-diving AUVs and a dedicated operations team,
the CATALYST Program establishes a full-time, long-lasting, high-tech
knowledge center for interdisciplinary research of Earth’s oceans,”
said WHOI President and Director Susan Avery.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, independent organization in Falmouth, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the oceans and their interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the oceans’ role in the changing global environment. The WHOI Ocean Systems Lab designed the REMUS 6000 under a cooperative program involving the Naval Oceanographic Office and the Office of Naval Research. For more information, please visit http://www.whoi.edu.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University is a research institute dedicated to exploration, innovation, conservation and education related to the oceans. Harbor Branch was founded in 1971 as a private non-profit organization. In December 2007, Harbor Branch joined Florida Atlantic University. Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida’s southeastern coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, FAU maintains a world-class faculty and is comprised of ten specialized colleges. For more information, please visit http://www.hboi.edu.
Hydroid, Inc was founded in 2001 by the WHOI staff that invented REMUS and has grown at an amazing rate. The company now boasts over 150 AUV system sales to a variety of domestic and international customers. To support this growth, Hydroid now has a staff of over forty full and part-time employees and is located in a state-of-the-art facility in Pocasset, Massachusetts. Hydroid’s mission is to support the spread of the remarkable REMUS technology and to provide for continuous product development. For more information, please visit http://www.hydroidinc.com.
