If the Ocean were Transparent

There is no doubt that we need to map out more of the ocean floor. If we approached our desire for knowledge of the ocean like we do our desire for knowledge of space, we could most likely map out the entire ocean floor for about the same cost as an expedition to Mars. Even when looking down into the ocean, or up from the ocean floor, many things are obscured. This, of course, calls into question what we would be able to see if the entire ocean were flooded with light and transparent. The mental imagery is fascinating.

For example, we would be able to spot layers of what look like green mist that are actually phytoplankton. Phytoplankton work to take carbon out of the atmosphere, turning it into organic matter. Additionally, we would be able to spot hundreds of thousands of ships floating on the water’s surface, carrying billions of tons of cargo.

Going much deeper, a transparent ocean would be able to show us all of the life on the ocean floor. There is a large amount of ocean life with which we are not yet familiar. There exists a population of fish that reside far below the surface of the water during the day and find their way to the surface at night, for example. If the water were transparent, we would be able to see one of the largest movements of fish ever.

Most importantly, if the ocean were transparent, researchers would be able to map out all of the imperfections of the ocean floor. Many people think the ocean floor to be flat far beneath the surface, but this is a misguided notion. Most of the pieces of the ocean floor we know vary in depth. There exist seamounts on which water level is slightly higher, and unpredictable dips and crags. Studies of the shifting of tectonic plates are able to explain such phenomena, but we would need to see the ocean floor to explore their effects.

There is no doubt that a transparent ocean would make ocean exploration much easier. Unfortunately, there is no way to make the ocean fully transparent. There is, however, technology we can use to simulate transparency of the ocean for researchers and research vessels. Drones and big data are the two avenues that are projected to be the most reliable. Unscrewed surface vessels would be able to map the ocean floor with a sonar while never having to go into port, as they can be controlled remotely. New methods of data processing can be incorporated into systems that, in effect, could make the ocean ‘transparent.’

As you can see, there are many methods the scientific community could use to make the ocean more transparent. It will be interesting to see how technology evolves to tell us more about the ocean floor in the future!

Exploring the Andrea Doria

On July 26, 1956, the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria sank to the seafloor in one of the most well-known shipwrecks in history. Now, explorers are attempting to get a good look at the wreckage on the seafloor.

Everett-based exploration company OceanGate is planning the first manned submersible expedition to the wreck in 20 years. Next month, this company will utilize its five-man submersible Cyclops I to get high definition video and 3-D sonar images of the shipwreck. This revolutionary technology has never been used to study this well-known maritime disaster.

On the day of the incident, the Italian luxury liner was heading to New York when the collision occurred on a foggy night. The other ship involved in the collision was the Swedish ship Stockholm, which was going back to Europe. The Stockholm ripped a gash in the hull of the Andrea Doria. And the Andrea Doria then began to list, and some of its lifeboats became unusable. Five people on the Stockholm died, while 46 crew members and passengers on the Andrea Soria died. Over 1,600 other people were rescued as the Italian ship took 11 hours to sink.

The wreck occurred about 50 miles south of Nantucket in about 240 feet of water. For years, treasure-hunting divers have visited this site searching for money, china and artifacts from the past. Sixteen of these divers have died in their attempts. The Andrea Doria has been compared to Mount Everest. Just as the world's tallest peak is alluring and dangerous to mountaineers, the Andrea Doria has a similar appeal to divers.

According to OceanGate marketing director Joel Perry, one reason this is so dangerous is the depth and the risk of nitrogen narcosis. Nitrogen narcosis is a condition in which too much nitrogen builds up in the blood, thus clouding the person’s judgement. The depth adds danger because visibility is poor and currents are unpredictable. There are also a lot of protrusions that can snag a diver.

Due to its depth, divers can only explore the wreck for about 20 minutes. The Cyclops I will be able to stay down for hours. It has an interior about the size of a Chevrolet Suburban. OceanGate plans to do two three-hour dives per day for one week. The mission will occur from June 2 to June 9. OceanGate is doing this expedition in order to document and observe, rather than to collect artifacts.

This expedition is being conducted with the assistance of Boston Harbor Cruises, which will provide the operational vessel, and iXBlue, which will provide navigation services. The Andrea Doria is quickly decaying, and the technology used in this expedition can help to build a 3-D map of the wreck. This highly accurate rendering can be used by scientists to compare with future decay.

These findings could also be significant for studying other shipwrecks. There are thousands of shipwrecks all around the world that need to be explored, and this expedition could be the first step.