<\/p>\n
But as with any sort of new type of technology, \u201cthere\u2019s always growing pains,\u201d recalls Orphan. Frigid temperatures and steep topography added unseen challenges, and it took the full three weeks for the sub to get high-resolution photographs of the seeps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The setback didn\u2019t dull Orphan\u2019s excitement about the potential of these machines. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of real, unknown science right at that interface between the sediment and the ocean surface,\u201d she says. \u201cThe Orpheus-type class of instrument, with the right kinds of sensors and samplers, could be a very enabling tool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell envisions pairing the vehicles with specially designed payloads that can sense the heat of chemical seeps and detect plumes of sediment, DNA shed from ocean life-forms, or the magnetic tug of buried cables.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The vehicles are the \u201cthe best of both worlds,\u201d says Andrew Sweetman, a deep-sea ecologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, who has not worked with Orpheus. While they can roam large areas like an AUV, they can also carry out precise sampling maneuvers like a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a robot connected to a ship via cables that fulfills real-time human commands.<\/p>\n
In addition to the low price tag, says Sweetman, the small size of the vessels means they don\u2019t require a large research vessel to ferry them out to sea. That might make exploration more accessible for smaller or poorer countries without such ships, he says: \u201cIt will, in a way, help democratize deep-sea science.\u201d He imagines using the sediment cores the submersibles gather to probe how seafloor-dwelling animals cycle nutrients\u2014a crucial element of the ocean\u2019s role as a carbon sink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As much as smaller, cheaper ocean vehicles have caught scientists\u2019 eye, they have also piqued the interest of companies. Russell says inquiries come in weekly from businesses involved in deep-sea mining, defense, offshore wind, telecommunication, and oil and gas. He notes that Orpheus is merely a \u201cservice provider,\u201d helping collect data where needed but not making decisions about how to use the seafloor. And he says that better data\u2014such as information on the shape of the seafloor, the sediment quality, and the presence of life\u2014also \u201craises the bars\u201d that governments and regulators are only beginning to set.<\/p>\n
But many scientists are far from eager about the growing push for seabed mining, which an executive order from President Donald Trump stoked further last week by mandating that the US government rapidly develop mineral exploration and processing. And earlier last month, the administration announced the creation of a new government office: the Marine Minerals Administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
#Inexpensive #seafloorhopping #submersibles #stoke #deepsea #scienceand #mining<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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