Study of Newly Exposed Sea Floor Reveals Flourishing Ecosystems
and geological samples, the team deployed autonomous gliders to study the impacts of glacial meltwater on the physical and chemical properties of the region. Preliminary data suggest high biological productivity and a strong meltwater flow from the George IV ice shelf.The expedition was part of Challenger 150, a global cooperative focused on deep-sea biological research and endorsed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) as an Ocean Decade Action
Singapore Boosts Undersea Might with Two New Submarines
which experts said would range beyond the waters of the tiny city-state to keep tabs on the region.The country's fifth and sixth submarines, the Invincible and the Impeccable, were ordered from Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in 2013 in a 1-billion-euro deal, and join older Archer- and Challenger-class boats.They represent a technological step forward for Singapore's fleet, experts say, allowing the wealthy Southeast Asian nation to operate farther from shore using fewer sailors, and making its craft among the quietest in the region."They are an excellent force multiplier,"
MTS, SUT to Honor Marty Klein with Capt. Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration
, honoring his son’s memory and supporting future ocean professionals. Upon receiving the news of the award, Marty said, “I am humbled and honored. When I was a student at MIT, I read with fascination the Life Magazine cover story about the historic deep dive to 35,813 feet in the Challenger Deep/Mariana Trench by Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh in the Bathyscaph Trieste. Little could I know that three years later, just as I was beginning my career, the nuclear submarine USS Thresher would sink, the Trieste would be called from San Diego to assist the project, and I would become intimately
U.S. Revives Cold War Submarine Spy Program to Counter China
Beijing and its neighbors. China is also building a fleet of underwater and surface sea drones to scour for enemy submarines, the two people said.The Chinese push extends far into the Pacific. The state-run China Academy of Sciences said in 2018 it was operating two underwater sensors: one in Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point on earth; the other near Yap, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. Though China says these sensors are used for scientific purposes, they could detect submarine movements near the U.S. naval base on Guam, a Pacific island territory
Op/Ed: We Cannot Let the OceanGate Tragedy Put a Pause on Ocean Exploration
this vehicle class in the SOLAS convention itselfAt the same time, we must ensure any international regulations acknowledge the stellar track record of both manned and unmanned ocean exploration. Record-setting explorer Victor Vescovo, for example, has completed 15 successful submersible dives to Challenger Deep in the DNV-certified submersible Limiting Factor, in addition to reaching all four of the ocean's 10,000+ meter deepest points. In the case of unmanned exploration, during my tenure with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), I initiated the 2020 national strategy
They Say We Know More About the Moon Than About the Deep Sea. They’re Wrong
of visitorsAnother related and incorrect comparison is that more people have set foot on the Moon than have visited the deepest place on Earth.This statement is difficult to substantiate. “The deepest place on Earth” could refer to the Mariana Trench, or just the deepest part of it (the Challenger Deep, named for the British survey ship HMS Challenger).The bathyscaphe Trieste was the first crewed vessel to reach Challenger Deep, in 1960. US NavyNevertheless, at least 27 and as many as 40 or more people have visited the Challenger Deep as of early 2023. On the other hand, only 12 people have
In Memoriam: E. John Michel, MRCM (DV) USN (Ret), Chief-of-the-Boat, Bathyscaph Trieste
our deepest dive in 1960. His upbeat personality, sense of humor and unmatched story telling abilities were great morale boosters for the whole team.His skills as a problem solver reached new heights when a serious failure with our pressure hull threatened to end the program before our dive into Challenger Deep. John worked out a brilliant field fix and executed it. While it was not ‘good as new’ it was quite safe for resuming our dive program. After the fix Jacques Piccard and I made two more dives, one to 24,000 and the other to 35,912 feet. With the latter being
Lander Lab #5: Lithium Polymer Batteries
industry is undergoing dramatic change with new battery developments that follow the personal computer and cell phone industries. The Tesla Powerwall, which uses a stack of LiPos, allows homes to get off the grid when the grid goes down. WHOI’s DSV ALVIN, James Cameron’s DSV DEEP SEA CHALLENGER, and Triton Submarine’s TRITON 36,000/2 (DSV Limiting Factor) submersibles are powered by pressure compensated LiPo battery modules. In 2019 and 2020, Japan launched two new diesel-electric submarines, Taigei, or “Great Whale,” and Toryu, or “Fighting Dragon,” equipped
Divers Find Challenger Space Shuttle Wreckage Off Florida Coast
Divers from a documentary crew looking for the wreckage of a World War Two aircraft off the coast of Florida found a 20-foot section of the space shuttle Challenger, which exploded and broke apart shortly after its launch in 1986, NASA said on Thursday.The divers contacted NASA after spotting a large, clearly modern object mostly covered in sand at the bottom of the ocean and bearing the shuttle's distinctive tiles, the space agency said in a written statement."This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause once again, to uplift the legacies of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on
February 2025
