Remote Underwater Exploration
Interesting news and activities
New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) is pioneering the use of ROVs for surveillance in high-risk locations (where there are high volumes of international vessel arrivals) for marine pest incursions. The ROVs are particularly useful where there is a risk of large predators, like leopard seals, sea lions and sharks, presenting dangers to divers.
Full article at: NIWA ROV for marine biosecurity
ROVs have been used to conduct marine research for years now. Some excellent examples include:
Engineers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) have designed an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to study and follow individual creatures in the ocean twilight zone for up to 2 days. The build team expanded to include engineers and scientists from WHOI, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Stanford University, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, with additional funding from the National Science Foundation. The Mesobot is expected to make its maiden plunge into the twilight zone mid-2019.
Full article at: WHOI OceanUs Magazine 12mar19
Seychelles President, Danny Faure, called for better protection of the planet and increased focus on the blue economy in a first-ever live speech from an underwater submersible at a depth of 120m.
Full article at: Associated Press and ABC News 14apr19
Scientists from the University of Georgia, aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute vessel, found AMAZING “mirror-like pools” in a hydrothermal field in the Gulf of California at ~2000m depths. The ROV SuBastian caught some incredible images, and a lot of plastic trash…