Oceanographic Research Using Remotely Operated Underwater Robotic Vehicles: Exploration of Hydrothermal Vent Sites On The Mid-Atlantic Ridge At 37°North 32°West

Abstract

This paper describes three 6000 meter tethered underwater vehicles - DSL-120 sonar, ARGO II mapping system and Jason/Medea remotely operated vehicle - used during the summer of 1996 for an oceanographic expedition to investigate hydrothermal vent sites at the Lucky Strike segment (37°N 32°W) of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge as part of the RIDGE (Ridge Inter-Disciplinary Global Experiment) Initiative (RIDGE,1993). This suite of vehicles has dramatically augmented the suite of deep submergence vehicles available to oceanographers and has resulted in new approaches to deep-sea research.