A Photo Album from the Alvin Submersible |
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The view from Astoria, Oregon before the RV Atlantis, with the Alvin submersible on board, departed on September 7, 2009.
Image Courtesy of Tim Killeen |
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Close-up view of the Alvin submersible
Image Courtesy of Tim Killeen |
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Dr. Susan Avery and Dr. Timothy Killeen boarding Alvin on September 8, 2009
Image Courtesy of Tim Killeen
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Biological creatures in the water column outside Alvin as it descends to the sea floor
Image Courtesy of Tim Killeen |
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These microbial "mats," on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean, live off of methane gas released from seismic activity in the region
Image Courtesy of Tim Killeen |
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Alvin's arm inserted a set of core sampling cylinders into the soft sediments next to the ghostly white microbial mats.
Image Courtesy of Tim Killeen |
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These cylinders were used to collect samples from the microbial mats on the sea floor.
Image Courtesy of Tim Killeen |
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Alvin has a robotic arm that was used to pick up snails from the sea floor
Image courtesy of Tim Killeen |
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Divers prepare to snag Alvin on its return to the ocean surface.
Image Courtesy of Tim Killeen |
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Alvin is loaded back on board the RV Atlantis after the dive.
Image Courtesy of Carlye Calvin |
Postcards from the Field: Alvin
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The team is assembling for a short cruise aboard the Atlantis, leaving Astoria, Oregon on a scientific cruise to Hydrate Ridge. At Hydrate Ridge, the deep submersible, Alvin, will explore the sea bottom
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After leaving Astoria we steamed to the "Hydrate Ridge" - an area at a latitude of 44N and longitude of 125W, about 45 miles off the coast of Oregon, where the sea floor is at a depth of 780 meters. The
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We clambered into the Alvin. Once inside, there wasn't much space for the three of us to move around. The "cabin" is a sphere made out of welded titanium metal and it's about the size of a small walk-in
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Once on the sea floor, Bruce started moving around to search for the microbial mats. Alvin moves a little like a blimp - you give it some momentum in a particular direction and it will keep going. It turns
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To return to the surface, Bruce jettisoned two sets of weights and we began to ascend, again very gracefully. Again, we saw all kinds of jellyfish, strange fluorescent creatures, and floating particules
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