Robotic sub to explore world’s deepest undersea volcanoes
August 11, 2008
Autosub6000
Researchers are planning to send two submarines – one autonomous – down to depths of 6 km (3.6 miles) in the Cayman Trough, located in the Caribbean Sea. Because these waters will have temperatures of around 500C (930F) and are completely unexplored, the scientists predict that one out of two sea creatures the subs see will be an undiscovered species.
The researchers, led by Jon Copley of the National Oceanography Center in Southampton, UK, will undertake two expeditions, each about a month long.
First, they will send Autosub6000, an unmanned undersea vehicle that is completely autonomous, to locate the volcano vents. The 5.5-meter-long, 2,800-kg robotic sub has a range of 1,000 meters and carries 12 lithium-polymer battery packs.
The second submarine, a remotely operated vehicle called Isis, will follow to investigate things more closely. Besides looking at biological life, Isis will take samples of the gas and sediment around the world’s hottest deep-sea vents.
The data will allow the researchers to compare the life forms around the Cayman vents with those in vents in other oceans around the world to find out how far deep-sea creatures can travel or how isolated they are. This information will reveal how large a role ocean currents play in transporting the animals’ larvae.
"The deep ocean is our planet's largest ecosystem,” Copley said. “If we are going to use its resources responsibly then we need understand what determines its patterns of life.”
Via: BBC News
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