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Up Before the Sun

With sunrise for company, pilot Sean Kelley readies the sample basket on the front of the submersible Alvin during the daily pre-dawn pre-dive check. R/V Atlantis and Alvin were in the Gulf of Mexico in December 2010, to investigate possible impacts on deep-sea ecosystems by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The world’s longest-operating deep-sea submersible, Alvin is currently ashore, undergoing an overhaul and upgrade. (Photo by Tom Lanagan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)