HOV Alvin
Alvin Science Verification by the Numbers
“The new capabilities of a 6500-meter rated Alvin will continue the tradition of enabling generations of scientists the opportunity to make discoveries that will change the way we view the ocean and our world,” Soule says. “It’s an honor to be a part of that tradition.”
Read MorePushing back the darkness
Members of the scientific and engineering teams on Atlantis align Alvin’s new lights on deck before taking them on their first dive. (Photo ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Below about 200 meters in the ocean, much of the light from the sun disappears, absorbed by seawater above. That means every glimmer used by scientists in Alvin…
Read MoreCayman News Service: DoE staffer first Caymanian to dive the Cayman Trench
(CNS): Sabrina Douglas, assistant geographical information systems (GIS) and field support specialist at the Department of Environment, became the first Caymanian to dive the depths of the Cayman Trench inside Alvin, a specialist submersible, as part of an ocean exploration research project currently underway into this mysterious part of the Atlantic. Douglas is working aboard the Atlantis with…
Read MoreComiclog: Collect them all
Artist Karen Romano Young sailed along with the science team during Alvin’s Science Verification Expedition and turned her eye to the people around her on the ship and the stories of how they got to do what they do. You can see more of her work at IWasAKid.com. Mackenzie Gerringer, State University of New York…
Read MoreHuman-occupied vehicle Alvin successfully completes science verification
The human-occupied vehicle (HOV) Alvin at the surface after a dive, during its recent science verification expedition at locations on the Puerto Rico Trench and Mid-Cayman Rise. (Photo by Marley Parker, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) The human-occupied submersible Alvin is ready to return to scientific research at its newly certified maximum depth of 6500 meters (4 miles).…
Read MoreA Conversation with Alvin expedition leader Randy Holt
Alvin expedition leader Randy Holt prepares the sub to launch during the science verification expedition. (Photo by Marley Parker, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) What are your responsibilities as expedition leader? I manage the mechanical and electrical teams that work on Alvin. I work with the ship’s chief mate to assign roles for launch and recovery…
Read MoreSeeking an abundance of abyssal life
SUNY Geneseo biologist Mackenzie Gerringer retrieves a sample from Alvin’s suction sampler after her dive on the Cayman Rise. (Photo by Marley Parker, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Deep-sea habitats seem harsh from our perspective, with cold temperatures and a complete lack of sunlight. Pressures are high, reaching up to 15,000 psi at the ocean’s greatest…
Read MoreThe first Caymanian to the Cayman Rise
Sabrina Douglas, the first native of the Cayman Islands to dive in the Mid-Cayman Rise, emerges from HOV Alvin after her dive. (Photo by Marley Parker, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Inside Alvin, the radio crackles to life. The sub’s three occupants sit still and quiet, listening closely to the carefully scripted deployment sequence deployment. The…
Read MoreConducting chemistry in the deep sea
Don Nuzzio helps retrieve samples from Alvin’s science basket after a dive that carried his in-situ chemical probe (inset) to measure fluid flow from hydrothermal vents at the Von Damm vent field. (Photo by Marley Parker, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) A warm morning breeze, thick with humidity, washes across the aft deck of R/V Atlantis…
Read MoreSearching for fresh seafloor
Bob Waters uses the Alvin manipulator arm to pick up a rock sample from the ridge. (Courtesy of Anna Michel, WHOI and Adam Soule, URI/NSF/HOV Alvin, 2022 © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) The view out of Alvin’s port-side window, at 5300 meters depth in the south-central Mid-Cayman Trough, reveals a pockmarked tan surface, like toasted…
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