Archive for Amanda Demopoulos

Lighting Up the Seafloor

Posted by Lonny Lippsett and Chris Linder 
· Sunday, March 23rd, 2014 


Video courtesy of Peter Girguis, chief scientist, Harvard University; Funded by NSF, ONR, and NOAA; ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Production and editing by Chris Linder, WHOI)

You’ve got action: deep-sea creatures doing their things at the bottom of the ocean. You’ve got cameras: new high-definition ones on the submersible Alvin. And you’ve got new LED lights. But to achieve the best imagery, every photographer knows that you can have the best cameras, and deftly zoom and adjust apertures, but those don’t mean a thing, if the light ain’t right. Read More →

Tweaks and Troubleshooting

Posted by Lonny Lippsett 
· Friday, March 21st, 2014 
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Peter Girguis, chief scientist of the Alvin Science Verification Cruise, stands before the sub during nighttime tests of the sub's lighting. Scientists and engineers are experimenting with adding and positioning lights to optimize Alvin's imaging capabilities. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
On Thursday, scientists on the Alvin Verification Cruise adjusted high-intensity LED lights on the sub’s “brow” and just above the forward viewports (not seen in this drawing) to perfect the lighting so they can obtain sharp, shadow- and glare-free photos and videos from the sub. (Illustration by E. Paul Oberlander, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

The whole objective of this research cruise is to test a newly rebuilt Alvin equipped with upgraded systems that had never been used before by scientists under field conditions. Scientists and engineers expected hiccups and learning curves. After four test dives of Alvin, it was time to tweak, troubleshoot, and optimize. Read More →

Riding in Style

Posted by Lonny Lippsett 
· Thursday, March 20th, 2014 
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The A-frame at the stern of the research vessel Atlantis positions Alvin to be lowered into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday morning. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Atlantis chief mate Peter Leonard leaps off Alvin carrying a safety line back to a small boat dispatched from Atlantis. Leonard and Shipboard Scientific Services Group technician Allison Heater were Wednesday's "swimmers," who play important roles in launching and recovering the sub. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
SSSG technician Allison Heater swims back to Atlantis' small boat after assisting in Wednesday's launch. She holds a sound-phone used to talk with Alvin's pilot inside the sealed personnel sphere, keeping it above water so it won't get wet. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Able-bodied seaman Raul Martinez swims toward Alvin during Wednesday's recovery. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Ordinary seaman Ronnie Whims drives the small boat with able-bodied seaman Patrick Neumann aboard to retrieve the line to secure the sub to Atlantis. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Amanda Demopoulos, a biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, and University of Delaware chemist George Luther were the scientists who dove in Alvin Wednesday with Pilot Bob Waters. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
George Luther (left) of the University of Delaware and Don Nuzzio of Analytical Instrument Systems prepare their instrument on Alvin's payload basket the evening before a dive. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Expedition chief scientist Peter Girguis and Jennifer Delaney of Harvard University extract the viscera of a deep-sea clam collected by Alvin Wednesday. A preserved sample will be sent to the Ocean Genome Legacy, which aims to archive the DNA of every marine species and make the data available to scientists. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Two more veteran deep-sea scientists took their turn Wednesday to test-drive the upgraded Alvin. They came on this expedition to assess the sub’s new capabilities, find faults to be fixed, and report to their scientific peers. In a way, they were perfectly willing human guinea pigs. As much as they were testing Alvin, the sub was being tested on them. Read More →

About

From March 14 to 26, Peter Girguis, chair of DESSC (DEep Submergence Science Committee), will lead a group of scientists, including many veteran Alvin divers, from a host of research institutions to “road-test” the new vehicle on an expedition in the Gulf of Mexico. More »

More about

HOV Alvin
Alvin Upgrade
Rebuilding Alvin from Oceanus magazine

Participating Organizations

National Science Foundation
Office of Naval Research
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
   Administration
University-National Oceanographic
   Laboratory System
National Deep Submergence Facility
DEep Submergence Science Committee
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Alvin Science Verification Cruise
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