Abstract: This talk reports a brief overview of the Nereus vehicle design, and reviews the initial results of the dives conducted on these expeditions, including two dives to more than 10,900 m depth. In May/June 2009 Nereus successfully performed scientific observation and sampling operations at hadal depths of 10,903 m on a NSF sponsored expedition to the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench – the deepest place on Earth. In October 2009 the vehicle successfully performed autonomous survey and teleoperated sampling on a NASA ASTEP sponsored expedition to the Mid-Cayman Rise. The Nereus underwater vehicle is designed to perform scientific survey and sampling to the full depth of the ocean – significantly deeper than the depth capability of all other present-day operational vehicles. For comparison, the second deepest underwater vehicle currently operational worldwide can dive to 7,000 m maximum depth. The Nereus vehicle project is lead by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with collaboration of the Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific.
Further information on the Nereus project:
Nereus Project web site:
http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=10076
NSF and WHOI Press Releases:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114913&org=NSF&from=news
http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=7545&tid=282&cid=57586&ct=162