Explore an underwater volcano with UW OOI scientists as they use the ROPOS ROV deployed from the R/V Thompson to venture down to the bottom of the ocean during the VISIONS '11 expedition. Led by UW Professors John Delaney and Deborah Kelley, VISIONS '11 broadcast over the Internet live HD video of fresh lava flows from the April 2011 eruption of Axial Seamount. UWTV, Channel 27, is now airing this program, which is also available online.
Work on VISIONS '11 included mapping the seafloor as part of work to install the cabled ocean observatory that is funded by the National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative. This OOI cabled component, one of several components in the Initiative, is led by the UW and will use fiber-optic/electrical cable to connect dozens of cameras and sensors on the ocean floor and in the water column at two main study sites: Axial Seamount and Hydrate Ridge. The cabled network is scheduled to be fully operational in 2015.
Plans are being finalized for the upcoming VISIONS '13 expedition in summer 2013. Once again, as on VISIONS '11, students will be active participants in the expedition and will gain hands-on at-sea experience. Work scheduled for VISIONS '13 includes installation of secondary nodes and instruments. The ~900 km of OOI primary cable were installed in 2011 and primary nodes in 2012.
For more information about the Ocean Observatories Initiative: