Image Archive

Sarah_Cabled_Observatory_Vimeo_720

Sarah is a senior at UW Tacoma specializing in communications. Credit: S. Smith, UW Tacoma.

During the VISIONS'13 Expedition, three subnets were completed at this site (highlighted in blue). They include: 1) a medium-powered J-box MJ03B in the ASHES hydrothermal field, which is connected to two short-period seismometers; 2) an HD camera also in the ASHES hydrothermal field; and 3) a medium powered J-box MJ03E connected to two short-period seismometers. Over 20 km of extension cables, with lengths up to ~ 5 km, were successfully installed in 2013 using the ROV ROPOS. All extension cables and subnets were fully tested and are functional, awaiting to be connected to Primary Node PN3B. The remaining infrastructure will be deployed in during VISIONS'14, next year.

Each year, the summit of the ~ 16 m tall chimney 'El Guapo' (the handsome one) is visited. Fluids venting at ~350° are on the boiling curve and are reminiscent of flames in the deep sea. Credit: UW/NSF-OOI/WHOI V20

j1264_castle_vent

j1260_hpies

camhd_j1262

ooi-rca-map-portal3

ooi-rca-map-portal2

ooi-rca-map-portal

data-portal-main-image

data-porta-image

screenshot2013-09-16at1.49.17pm_med

This platform at 200 m beneath the ocean's surface is on the RSN two-legged mooring. The 12-foot-across platform will host the instrumented Shallow Winched Profiler, as well as an instrument science module on the platform itself (including a digital still camera and ADCP). All data will be streamed in real-time through the seafloor cable and onto the Internet for ingestion and redistribution by the OOI Cyberinfrastructure. (Illustration by Patrick Waite, University of Washington)

This winched shallow profiler science pod with be hosted on the 200-m platform of the RSN two-legged high-bandwidth mooring. The science pod will include numerous chemical and biological sensors, including pH, CO2, and nitrate. The profiler will make several trips through the water column each day, transmitting all data in real-time to the Internet. The two-way communication provided by the Primary Cable will allow adjusments of profiles in response to events of interest and characterization of thin layers. (Illustration by Patrick Waite, University of Washington)

The RCA high definition camera at the base of the hydrothermal vent called Mushroom. Credit: UW/NSF-OOI/CSSF; ROPOS Dive R1636; V13.

During VISIONS'13 two types of flow meters (CAT and Mosquito) were deployed at the summit of Southern Hydrate Ridge near the Einstein's Grotto active seep site - each instrument has specific ranges of flow that they measure. They will be recovered in 2014, providing year-long records of flow into and out of the sediment. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF//CSSF; V13

During ROPOS Dive 1611, the ROV latched into the remotely operated cable laying system (ROCLS) hosting a drum with an RSN extension cable ready to be installed. In concert, these two systems successfully installed >22,000 m of extension cables on the seafloor during the UW-OOI-NSF VISIONS'13 expedition.

The ROV team, SN scientists and engineers, and UW students gather in the operations laboratory aboard the R/V Thompson during Dive 1605 to Southern Hydrate Ridge during the VISIONS'13 Expedition. Photo Credit. Mitch Elend, University of Washington.

With ROPOS's heavy lift capabilities and industry style latch system on its underbelly, it is able to safely take heavy loads to the seafloor. During the VISIONS'13 Expedition, ROPOS takes two short-period seismometers to the seafloor in the tool basket at the start of Dive 1617 to the caldera of Axial Seamount.

The summit of Axial Volcano will host myriad geophysical, chemical and biological instruments connected in real-time to the Internet via an array of junction boxes and extension cables. During the VISIONS'13 Expedition, three subnets were completed at this site (highlighted in blue). They include: 1) a medium-powered J-box MJ03B in the ASHES hydrothermal field, which is connected to two short-period seismometers; 2) an HD camera also in the ASHES hydrothermal field; and 3) a medium powered J-box MJ03E connected to two short-period seismometers. Over 20 km of extension cables, with lengths up to ~ 5 km, were successfully installed in 2013 using the ROV ROPOS. All extension cables and subnets were fully tested and are functional, awaiting to be connected to Primary Node PN3B. The remaining infrastructure will be deployed in during VISIONS'14, next year.

During the UW-OOI-NSF VISIONS'13 Expedition, the remotely operated vehicle ROPOS installed three medium power J-Boxes (secondary nodes) utilizing their special 4,000 lb heavy lift capabilities. ROPOS took this RSN J-Box down on dive R1601. The broad feet on the J-Box are used for installation in heavily sedimented areas. This was an unusually calm day at sea in the NE Pacific. Photo Credit: Mitch Elend, University of Washington.

A cable termination assembly (CTA) is removed from the cable drum that was just released from the Remotely Operated Cable Laying System (ROCLS) during the ROV ROPOS dive 1599. The CTA, held in ROPOS's manipulator, provides a termination/connection between wetmate connectors and extension cables. An RSN wetmate hybrid connector (RS03W3-PA) is shown in the background, still attached to an extension cable that is figure 8'ed on the front horns of the cable drum. Photo credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF.

An ODI hybrid wet-mate connector provides > 1 Gbs video transmission capabilities and power to the RSN-OOI-NSF high definition camera that was deployed during the VISIONS'13 Expedition. The wetmate connectors allow an ROV to connect and disconnect infrastructure underwater without having to recover the equipment. The camera shown here is at a water depth of ~ 5000 ft at the summit of Axial Seamount. The orange extension cable (on right of camera) was powered up by the ROV ROPOS through an ~ 4 km extension cable that traverses eastward across the caldera at Axial Seamount. Live video video from the HD camera was streamed over the Internet for several hours during testing of the camera. In 2014, the extension cable will be connected to Primary Node 3B for 365 day access. The camera was installed at the base of the hydrothermal chimney called Mushroom in the ASHES hydrothermal field. Photo credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF.  

This medium powered junction-box (MJ03B) in the ASHES hydrothermal field was installed during the VISIONS'13 expedition. The titanium cylinder inside the frame hosts the power converters, data ports, and communication capabilities to shore via the Primary Nodes. A 4.3 km cable extends from this J-Box across the caldera to PN3B, where it awaits future connection. MJ03B was installed as a 'subnet' during VISIONS'13 - two short-period seismometers are now connected to it via a 50 m and 1.2 km extension cable, respectively. A also host a cabled 3D thermistor array (a test instrument is shown in this image - triangular shaped frame with blue cables) was also deployed for testing. MJ03B, and all cables and connected sensors were fully tested during VISIONS'13, and are fully functional. During the several hour test period, several earthquakes were detected. 

During ROPOS Dive 1629 of the VISIONS'13 Expedition, a current meter (tripod with red legs) and pressure sensor (were powered up and tested using through the medium powered J-box MJ01A. The ROV ROPOS provided power and communications and the data were streamed live up to the R/V Thompson through ROPOS's fiber optic tether. Here , the water depth was 2900 m. Credit: UW/NSF-OOI/CSSF, V13.

During VISIONS'13 ROPOS Dive R1636, the battery-powered version of the thermistor array was deployed at a small diffuse flow site at the base of the hydrothermal chimney called Mushroom. The thermistor array will provide a 3-dimensional view of the temperature structure at this site, which will help inform the community about the environmental conditions under which the biological assemblages thrive and evolve. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/CSSF; ROPOS Dive R1636, V13.