Post by Logan on Jan 16, 2016 21:58:56 GMT -6
UW scientists capture underwater eruption with new fiber-optic array, set up HD web cam
The idea was hatched in a bar more than two decades ago.
University of Washington oceanographer John Delaney and a colleague were nursing cocktails and venting their frustration with the traditional approach to studying the underwater world.
The ocean and seafloor are dynamic environments, with tectonic plates pulling apart, superhot fluids gushing from hydrothermal vents and an ever-shifting cast of creatures on the move. But scientists could only catch glimpses of what was going on under the surface during brief, costly research cruises.
When his friend mentioned a new technology called fiber optics, it fired Delaney’s imagination. He grabbed a napkin and sketched out a network of sensors attached to cables that could transmit data instantly and continuously. He called it an underwater observatory.
Continue reading at www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/science/new-window-opens-on-seafloor-just-in-time-for-eruption/ .
