INTO THE DEEP WITH ROBOTS

Various underwater vehicles allow scientists to conduct different kinds of searches.

- Matthew Lawrence

Standing on a beach looking out to sea leads many of us to ponder the question, I wonder what is out there? The explorers among us grab a mask and snorkel to see for ourselves. Warm, sunny waters invite hands-on exploration, making for enjoyable vacations. But what about the vast majority of the oceans deeper than 40 meters (131 feet)-beyond the range of most scuba divers? Technological advances, often driven by the military and the oil industry, have given scientists new tools to take them deeper. As a result, ocean exploration has increasingly become robotic.

Robots allow scientists to locate and investigate marine animals, ecosystems, and shipwrecks and other submerged archaeological sites at depths beyond that 40-meter easily-accessible depth. Robotic explorers generally fall into two categories, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVS) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVS). Each type of vehicle has specific capabilities that make it better suited to certain kinds of research.

Secrets in the Deep

Why would scientists want to spend the time and effort needed to locate and study a shipwreck in water deeper than they can reach by diving? Shipwrecks in the deep ocean can yield information about their place of origin or their early history that has not been scrambled by the effects of waves. (Waves are much more prevalent in shallow water.) Fragile artifacts are also more intact when they have escaped wave action. Not surprisingly, shipwrecks beyond the reach of scuba divers also have better site integrity. That's a location's ability to yield information to answer important research questions. Shipwrecks found in shallow waters are often like a book with its pages jumbled or ripped out.