Underwater Vehicles
WHOI research in five inhospitable locations
Whether they’re under the ice at the furthest poles or hovering above the ocean’s deepest volcanoes, these researchers get the job done.
Read MoreMeet the Alvin 6500 Team: Drew Bewley
Alvin engineer and pilot Drew Bewley on what best prepared him to work on a one-of-a-kind submersible and the overhaul that will take Alvin to 6500 meters.
Read MoreAOP&E Department Virtual Seminar: A Tale of Two Vehicles: The Development, Challenges, and Successes of the Benthic Rover and the MiniROV
Alana Sherman, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Sponsored by: AOP&E Department This will be held virtually. Please Join: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/93873912253?pwd=Rmo0OXpTT2tJQmNsSzRVNTNwMG1Sdz09 Meeting ID:…
Read MoreArctic scientists test underwater drone on Willoughby Lake
New England winters can often feel as cold as the Arctic. But for researchers from WHOI’s Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering department, Vermont’s polar-like cold proved to be the perfect testing site for Remus 600. The state’s deepest lake – Lake Willoughby – offered fewer risks than the Arctic Ocean, while providing important data about ice measurement and water temperature, helping to streamline the real mission this fall.
A Quick Dive Into How Submarines Work
Submarines can descend thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean, but to do so, they have to deal with an enormous amount of pressure. NPR caught up with WHOI’s Bruce Strickrott, Group Manager and Chief Pilot of the Deep Submergence Vehicle Alvin, who explains some of the fundamental engineering principles that allow submarines to dive so deep without imploding under the pressure, and shares updates on Alvin’s overhaul and future dives.
Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin is part of the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF). Alvin is one of the most recognized deep submergence vessels in the world and the only one in the U.S. capable of carrying humans into extreme ocean depths. The sub has completed 5,065 successful dives, more than all other submersible programs worldwide combined. When Alvin relaunches next fall, the iconic sub will have the ability to dive to 6500 meters (21,325 feet)—almost 4 miles deep and 2,000 meters deeper than Alvin’s current maximum depth of 4500 meters (14,800 feet). The upgrade will also give the sub access to 99% of the ocean floor.
MC&G Department Virtual Seminar: Exploring the Use of Metals in Biogeochemically Important Enzymes in the Oceans, and Development of the Biogeochemical AUV Clio
Mak Saito, WHOI Sponsored by: MC&G Department This will be held virtually. Information will be posted when available
Read MoreQuantum-enabled scanner will boost our understanding of brain function, doing research 6.5 km under the ocean’s surface
Soule talks to Physics World’s James Dacey about doing science in the Alvin submersible vehicle, which is currently be refurbished to allow it to reach the astonishing depth of 6.5 km.
AOP&E Department Virtual Seminar: Learn What’s Possible: New Vehicle and Science Capabilities
Amy Kukuyla, WHOI Sponsored by: AOP&E Department This will be held virtually Please Join: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/93873912253?pwd=Rmo0OXpTT2tJQmNsSzRVNTNwMG1Sdz09 Meeting ID: 938 7391 2253…
Read MoreMeet the Alvin 6500 Team: Danik Forsman
Interview with Danik Forsman, Alvin Pilot and mechanical section leader on rebuilding Alvin for 6,500-meters and mentorships that helped him become a pilot.
Read MoreThe Creepy, Unbelievably Inspiring World of Deep Sea Parasites
Ocean hitchhikers and bodysnatchers abound in the ocean, from the surface down to the deepest trenches. The question is, why? And is it a good thing?
Read MoreThe Oldest Crewed Deep Sea Submarine Just Got a Big Makeover
Alvin has been ashore getting a major upgrade at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, which operates the submersible on behalf of the US Navy. By the time Alvin’s makeover is wrapped up in late 2021, the storied submarine will rank among the most capable human-rated deep sea submersibles in the world.
Meet the Alvin 6500 Team: Lane Abrams
Lane Abrams talks about designing electronics for the bottom of the ocean and project management of Alvin’s electrical updates for the 6500 meter overhaul.
Read MoreThe Water Below
Drawing on 90 years of leadership in ocean discovery and exploration, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists are engaged in an array of research projects using autonomous systems to advance their understanding of marine environments.
Meet the Alvin 6500 Team: Francis Elder
An interview with Francis Elder, lead mechanical engineer for the Alvin Group. Find out how the team has designed a new pump to take Alvin to 6,500 meters.
Read MoreWHOI Reveals Upgrades to Iconic Submersible Alvin
Increased depth range and the ability to explore 99% of the ocean floor, including the abyssal region—one of the least understood areas of the deep sea—are just some of the upgrades underway for the iconic human-occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin that were unveiled today at the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Fall Meeting 2020.
WHOI reveals upgrades to iconic submersible Alvin
One of the world’s most prolific research submersibles will put 99% of the ocean floor within reach of science community when it relaunches in 2021
Read MoreSea Ahead
The game-changing technologies that will transform our ability to understand and manage Earth’s last great frontier. Monitoring instruments—and ocean technologies in general—have come a long way. We now have Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled robots that not only allow researchers to access the most remote spots in the ocean, but can decide where to explore once they get there.
Wave Glider provides gateway to remote exploration
WHOI geochemist Chris German pairs an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) called a Wave Glider with other vehicles to expand research here and on other Ocean Worlds
Read MoreWHOI-assisted study finds ocean dumping of DDT waste was “sloppy”
An investigative report this week in the LA Times features the work of WHOI’s marine geochemistry lab in identifying the discarded barrels and analyzing samples from the discovery.
Read MoreHow the waters off Catalina became a DDT dumping ground …
A scientist involved in the discovery of the Titanic happened to be on board, so he helped them program the robots on where to go and how to search for the barrels. A marine geochemistry lab at WHOI ran the samples.
Is seaweed the future of fuel?
“Macroalgae needs to scale up to the point where it’s economically feasible for biofuel, and to do this we are going to have thousands of hectares of farms,” says Erin Fischell, an assistant scientist at WHOI.
Is seaweed the future of fuel?
Erin Fischell, an assistant scientist at WHOI, points out: “Macroalgae needs to scale up to the point where it’s economically feasible for biofuel, and to do this we are going to have thousands of hectares of farms.”
Decoding The Black Box: The 2015 US Disaster That Revolutionized Ship Crash Investigations
The first challenge for the El Faro was to locate and extract the VDR. It took three expeditions over 11 months and the use of novel video telepresence, to be able to go down, retrieve it. The NTSB and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution also highlight the lengths they went to here.
AOP&E Department Virtual Seminar: Cross-Shore Transport in Internal Waves: Lessons Learned From Robotic Larval Mimics
Jessica Carriere-Garwood, Rutgers University Sponsored by: AOP&E This will be held virtually. Please Join: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/94850236990?pwd=akJrTDFBeDJYakhOdVc2c1hDWVdYQT09 Meeting ID: 948 5023 6990 Passcode:…
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