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Media Advisory 18-014

Live from the ocean research vessel Atlantis

Ship-to-shore conversations with deep-sea scientists will take place during the American Geophysical Union fall meeting

scientists look out from sphere in the sea

Interact with deep-sea scientists via a ship-to-shore connection on Dec. 11, 12, 13.


December 6, 2018

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

Scientists and engineers on a deep-sea expedition aboard the research vessel Atlantis in the East Pacific Ocean will be broadcasting live to the American Geophysical Union fall meeting exhibit booth from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 11, Wednesday, Dec. 12, and Thursday, Dec. 13.

Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the expedition's scientists and engineers will talk about their research, including their use of submersibles, and answer questions from the audience.

The team aboard ship includes early-career marine scientists learning to plan and execute a research expedition using the U.S. Navy-owned and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution-operated human-occupied submersible Alvin and the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry, as well as senior scientists and vehicle engineers. Attendees at the live broadcast will learn about findings made during the expedition.

The NSF-funded expedition is focused on two locations: A seamount chain roughly 1,000 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico, where the cruise began on Dec. 3, and a volcanically and hydrothermally active portion of a mid-ocean ridge, or underwater mountain range, on the East Pacific Rise.

Research at both sites centers on the processes that drive submarine volcanic activity, the formation of new crust, and how elements and heat are exchanged between the interior and the surface of our planet.

The audience will have the opportunity to connect with young scientists at the start of their careers in marine geology, geophysics, chemistry and biology, and to hear what it takes to organize a modern deep-submergence research expedition.

What: Live two-way broadcasts from the research vessel Atlantis in the East Pacific Ocean.

Who: Scientists and engineers participating in an NSF-funded research expedition to study the deep sea.

When: Tuesday, Dec. 11, Wednesday, Dec. 12, and Thursday, Dec. 13, from 2:30 to 3:30 EST each day

Where: AGU booth in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall D.

*Journalists not attending AGU, as well as the general public, will be able to participate remotely here.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF, (703) 292-7734, email: cdybas@nsf.gov
Erin Koenig, WHOI, (508) 289-2270, email: ekoenig@whoi.edu
Nanci Bompey, AGU, (202) 777-7524, email: nbompey@agu.org

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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