Direct Line to the Seafloor

WHOI researchers Jim Broda, left, and Al Gagnon wave to well-wishers as the research vessel Knorr departed in October on one of the final cruises of its 44-year career. The mission will use the Long Core, an instrument that can penetrate up to 150 feet into the seafloor to collect sediment samples. The Long Core and its equipment were so heavy—30,000 pounds, to be exact—and the forces exerted on the ship during recovery so high, that Knorr had to be specially modified. Broda and Gagnon stand in front of a winch that holds special rope used to retract the massive instrument from the seafloor. (Photo by Jayne Doucette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)