(Image Credit: Luis Lamar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Scientists and engineers on a deep-sea expedition aboard the research vessel Atlantis in the East Pacific Ocean will be broadcasting live from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 11, Wednesday, Dec. 12 and Thursday, Dec. 13. 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 scientists and engineers on the research expedition to study the deep sea will give the live two-way broadcasts from Atlantis at its location in the East Pacific Ocean using ship-to-shore communication. With the ability to ask live questions of the crew on board, 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. —National Science Foundation

The broadcast will stream into the American Geophysical Union fall meeting at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall D. Public audiences not attending the AGU event can participate remotely at a link to be provided by NSF. Check the NSF page for details.

The human-occupied submersible Alvin can transport researchers on dives to depths of 14,700 ft. (Image Credit: Luis Lamar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

The autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry is capable of exploring the ocean down to 19,685 ft. (Image Credit: Luis Lamar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Atlantis is a global class research vessel that supports the human-occupied submersible Alvin. (Image Credit: Luis Lamar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)