After months of work to integrate complex and custom systems to operate the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts, MBARI’s marine operations team has now conducted the ship’s first ROV science dives.
Operated by pilots in a control room at the heart of the David Packard, ROV Doc Ricketts can dive up to 4,000 meters (approximately 2.5 miles) underwater. This robotic submersible has been a vital tool for MBARI’s research on marine life, ecosystems, and processes deep beneath the ocean’s surface, increasing our understanding of life in the midnight zone and on the abyssal seafloor.
After sea trials in early November and early December to test launch and recovery procedures and the ROV video recording process, MBARI’s first ROV science mission was a collaboration with our education and conservation partner, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This three-day expedition to collect animals for the Aquarium’s Into the Deep / En lo Profundo exhibition afforded an opportunity to further refine ROV operations, including use of the vehicle’s manipulator arms and other advanced sampling systems.
MBARI and the Monterey Bay Aquarium have a rich history of collaboration. They work closely together to introduce Aquarium visitors to the wonders of the deep sea and inspire stewardship of the largest living space on Earth.
Aquarium biologists were able to take advantage of the expanded capabilities of the David Packard to explore waters farther offshore at Sur Ridge, a deep-sea coral garden teeming with life. The longer dives—up to 12 hours underwater—allowed the team to collect more animals, critical for a new Aquarium research project aiming to better understand the diet and growth of deep-sea comb jellies. The expedition also provided an opportunity to deploy an “elevator” developed by MBARI engineers that allows Aquarium biologists to safely stow deep-sea animals for transport to the surface.
