ROV Rock Drill System
The National Science Foundation has recently awarded a grant to Maurice Tivey and Dan Fornari at WHOI to provide operational oversight and coordination for the use of a ROV-based drilling system on Jason2 for the US science community (NSF-OCE-0531466). The drill system was developed and operated for the last decade by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and has now been transferred to WHOI through the purchase made possible by the NSF funding. MBARI is collaborating in the transfer of the drill technology and operational expertise required to use it.
The National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF) ROV Jason2 fitted with the MBARI drill system (red arrow) in 2003 for work at the Endeavour hydrothermal vent field. (Photo by D. Kelley)