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Gobbling Deep-sea Robot

November 25, 2016

Even while conducting research out in the Pacific Ocean, far from family and friends, it’s still Thanksgiving for U.S. scientists and crew members, and they always look for ways to celebrate.  During the current expedition aboard the research vessel Atlantis, WHOI engineer Justin Fujii festooned the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry with colored electrical tape to resemble a turkey. The expedition is studying the 8°20’N Seamounts, a chain of undersea volcanoes near the East Pacific Rise, a mid-ocean ridge spreading center where magma erupts to form new ocean crust. Using sonar and cameras, Sentry creates highly detailed seafloor maps, which are often used to guide subsequent dives by scientists in the submersible Alvin, sometimes within hours of Sentry‘s return to the surface.(Photo by Dana Yoerger, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)