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Getting in Line

March 30, 2018

WHOI engineer Christopher Griner (facing camera) and Chris Mannka, a crewmember of the research vessel Neil Armstrong, wound more than 12 kilometers (over 7 miles) of high-strength synthetic rope prior to a research cruise last year. Griner is a member of the Shipboard Scientific Services Group (SSSG), which provides technical support on land and at sea to researchers working on WHOI-operated ships. The plastic fiber that makes up the rope is stronger than steel, yet is buoyant, which facilitates oceanographic work in the deep sea. During the cruise, the rope was used to deploy and recover various sea floor sampling systems as part of a study to examine Earth’s past climate. (Photo courtesy of Christopher Griner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)