Mapping the Future
that movie director James Cameron was involved in the early stages of the prize’s development; is he still on board and actively working with you, or following developments?Mr. Cameron has been a long-time advocate for ocean exploration, and, of course, mounted his own expedition to the Mariana Trench in 2012. He is also on the Board of Trustees for XPRIZE and was one of the people who brought the initial genesis of this idea to the attention of XPRIZE at one of our annual Visioneering events. From there, XPRIZE continued the full development and design of this competition.Are there any other
Newly Found Seafloor Rise Named Engineer’s Ridge
of equipment and address problems that can determine the success of an expedition.” According to the official naming proposal, Falkor and its crew ran 393 kilometers of survey lines to define the underwater bluff. It was during an expedition to explore the biology and geology of the Mariana Trench, that the team discovered Engineer’s Ridge and obtained footage of the deepest fish known to science. “Without the contribution of Falkor’s engineering team we would have been unable to continue to explore the deepest parts of the world’s oceans, and ultimately discover
Adventure Under Ice
to operate in some of the most extreme environments on Earth. He made a name for himself as co-principal investigator on the development of several novel underwater vehicles such as Nereus, the remotely controlled underwater vehicle that, in 2009, went to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth. The month-long expedition aboard Polarstern targeted an altogether different, but no less forbidding, environment in the upper water column under multiyear moving arctic sea ice. This is a magical and unfamiliar world. Each summer, bolstered by round-the-clock daylight
Uncharted Depths: Exploring the Marianas with SuBastian
A crescent shaped scar on the earth’s crust marks the location of the deepest known part of the world’s ocean. With some areas reaching depths more than 36,000 feet, scientists rely on a range of pioneering deep-sea technologies to survey the unexplored regions of the Mariana Trench. In 1987, the submersible Alvin was the first to visit the nearby Mariana Back-arc, a zone of highly active submarine volcanism and hydrothermal vents hidden 13,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. After returning to the Back-arc 30 years later equipped with the Schmidt Ocean Institute&rsquo
Ocean Science and Exploration Focus on Capitol Hill
hearing. Central to their visit is the display of the Deepsea Challenger, the only human-occupied vehicle currently able to access the deepest parts the ocean. Cameron developed the vehicle over seven years and used it in March 2012 to dive to the deepest spot in the ocean, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. One year later, Cameron donated the vehicle to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, as part of a newly established partnership to foster advancement of deep-ocean exploration. The display of the sub on Capitol Hill is sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Ocean Caucus co-chairs
China Submersible Sets to Sea
, leaves Jiangyin on a marine science expedition. During the 103-day mission, the submersible will submerge for scientific research in the South China Sea, the northeast Pacific Ocean and the west Pacific. Jiaolong set a new dive record after reaching 7,062 meters deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench in June 2012, demonstrating China's ability to conduct deep-sea scientific research and resource exploration in 99.8 percent of the world's oceans. However, Jiaolong is not yet ready for regular operation, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). The mission will mark the start
Oceanology International China Keynote Address Confirmed
and government representatives. “We are particularly excited about bringing together two keynote speakers who share a practical interest in hadal zone exploration. In 1960 Don Walsh, with Jacques Piccard, dived in Trieste to the deepest place in the world ocean – 35,840 ft in the Mariana Trench, and his interest continues to this day, and Professor Cui is involved with the current Jiaolong deep manned submersible project. In Dr Montaron we have a speaker who will impress on our audience the key role oceanology plays in offshore oil and gas exploration and production. “The conference
Ocean vs Space: Exploration and the Quest to Inspire the Public
made front-page news globally and, with each new finding, continued to generate massive global interest. At approximately the same time, in March 2012, James Cameron, one of the world’s best known movie directors, personally embarked on an extremely dangerous mission to the bottom of the Mariana Trench (approximately 11 kilometers deep and approximately 300 kilometers from the nearest land). As the third person in human history to do this (Jacques Piccard and Capt. Don Walsh made this journey for the first time in 1960), it was an incredible testament to human achievement. In one example, we
Registration Open for Oceanology International
full program will be announced on www.ctnwconference.com in early January 2014. Speakers will include a keynote address by Captain Don Walsh, USN (Retired), International Maritime Inc, who with Jacques Piccard, dived in Trieste in 1960 to the deepest place in the world ocean – 35,840 ft in the Mariana Trench, and his interest continues to this day. Following on from the inaugural event, the conference will continue the exploration of new scientific discoveries, disruptive and emergent technologies, and how they may profoundly influence the ocean technologies of the future. Strong support
Registration Open for Oceanology International
full program will be announced on ctnwconference.com in early January 2014. Speakers will include a keynote address by Captain Don Walsh, USN (Retired), International Maritime Inc, who with Jacques Piccard, dived in Trieste in 1960 to the deepest place in the world ocean – 35,840 ft in the Mariana Trench, and his interest continues to this day. Following on from the inaugural event, the conference will continue the exploration of new scientific discoveries, disruptive and emergent technologies, and how they may profoundly influence the ocean technologies of the future. Strong support and associated
Rayotek: Seeing Under Pressure
can take extremely hostile environments and that’s why we are the only company in the U.S. that makes the windows for the Orion spacecraft. We also make protective domes for cameras and human occupancy vehicles to withstand harsh environments and high pressures, such as the bottom of the Mariana Trench.” Sight glasses provide the opportunity to look into pressurized systems. “One of the most reliable instruments are our own eyes, and sight glasses allow us to view into extreme pressure environments safely, be it a hydraulics system or the deep sea,” says Raggio. Raggio
MTR100: Schmidt Ocean Institute
world’s deepest fish and several new underwater seamounts. In five years, R/V Falkor’s advanced multibeam system has mapped over 400,000 km² of ocean floor, an area larger than most European countries. Research onboard Falkor has also focused on poorly understood areas such as the Mariana Trench Back-Arc. As a result of the cruises conducted, over 72 publications have been produced since 2013 and more than 3,000 individuals have been reached through virtual classroom connections as part of SOI’s Ship-to-Shore Program. Engaging students from around the world has been an exciting
Extreme Sampling: Hadal Trenches
of the deep trenches for the marine carbon and nitrogen cycle, ii) explore the unique benthic microbial communities driving these processes, and iii) investigate the proposed great role of virus in regulating microbial performance in hadal sediments.“ Previous expeditions such as the Mariana Trench in 2010, have revealed surprisingly high levels of biological activity at nearly 11 kilometres deep. The Hades project now aims to investigate how life is sustained at these depths and how its activity affects the biogeochemical functioning of the oceans and the Earth. In the Pacific Ocean
Exploring Alien Oceans with AUVs
plumes in 2013, add to scientific speculation that tidal heating may warm this voluminous saltwater expanse to temperatures favorable for life. Thought to have a thickness between 3 and 15 kilometers, Europa’s ice surface shields an ocean, an estimated depth of 100km (62 miles) – the Mariana Trench, a shallow 11 kilometers (7 miles) by comparison. While several spacecraft have already completed a mixture of long-term and flyby missions, 2030 will be the decade both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) launch further data-collection missions of Europa’s environment
Exploring One of the Deepest Ocean Trenches
about the width of human hair. This state of the art vehicle, developed by a team of engineers at WHOI, is the result of a combination of some of the greatest advances in technology and science, and has already dove successfully to the deepest part of the ocean—Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench—on its first mission in May 2009. This expedition will build on earlier studies of the Kermadec Trench by Alan Jamieson at UA’s Oceanlab and colleagues at NIWA and the University of Tokyo. Using the Hadal-lander, which was developed at Oceanlab, the team has documented new species
Saipem: A Fleet Grows in Brazil
and ultra-deepwater projects can be tackled by using the J-lay technology on the almost vertical towers of the powerful FDS, FDS2 and Saipem 7000, and by the steep lay of the new company flagship MV Castorone. Saipem maintains that with the J-lay technology they have available even the depth of the Mariana Trench could be reached or exceeded, with the limit only resting in the line pipe resistance. Looking at the future, Saipem has been strengthening its fleet by completing the construction of a new state-of-the-art vessel in 2012, the MV Castorone, a deepwater pipelaying vessel for high productivity
New Deep-Sea Vents, Volcanic Activity Found in Mariana Back-Arc
characterize the rarely explored Mariana Back-Arc. HAGANTA, GUAM – A diverse team of scientists are returning from a 28-day expedition onboard R/V Falkor that has more than doubled the number of known hydrothermal vent sites in the Mariana Back-arc region. This area, west of the Mariana Trench, is where plate spreading and submarine volcanism are concentrated. Several momentous findings were made, including the discovery of one of the deepest vents ever found. Another important outcome was the discovery of an extremely rare recently-erupted underwater lava field that is likely only
