“This is an enormous advantage when trying to make sense of complex interactions between deep-sea animals and their rock or sediment environments.” “When scientists dive in Alvin they get to see directly, with their own eyes, the seafloor terrain, its sea life, and ongoing chemical, biological and geological processes,” according to the website. Robotic arms run instruments and collect samples from the bottom. “To reach its far-off study sites, Alvin rides aboard the R/V Atlantis, a 64-m (210-foot) research ship that supplies scientists with multiple onboard labs and state of the art computer facilities and accommodations,” according to a WHOI website.Īlvin has extremely bright lights to make the inky black depths visible to the naked eye and cameras that she carries. She is kept current by complete overhauls every few years and the addition of the latest technological gear whenever it is available. She has made 4,400 dives over the years, transporting thousands of researchers in the process. Built in 1964, she can reach depths of nearly three miles, which enables her to reach the bottom of more than 60 percent of the ocean floor, worldwide, on dives that can last up to 10 hours. Officially known as a Deep Submergence Vehicle, Alvin is owned by the U.S. She also found a lost hydrogen bomb in the Mediterranean in 1966 she facilitated the discovery and exploration of hydrothermal vents in the sea floor during the 1970s. In an advance notice, WHOI described the afternoon as “a rare opportunity to see the famous deep-diving research submarine and meet the scientists and engineers behind it.”Īlvin is best known for surveying the wreck of the Titanic in 1986. This Sunday, October 17, the deep-diving submarine Alvin will be the star of a free, public event from noon to 5 pm.
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