Deep-sea underwater observatory goes live in Monterey Bay

MOSS LANDING -- Creating a deep-sea underwater observatory may seem like science fiction, but researchers and engineers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing have made it a reality and are monitoring the deep-sea like never before.

The Monterey Accelerated Research System -- called MARS -- went live on Nov. 10 and is actively delivering data from the rim of the Monterey Canyon, 3,000 feet below the waves.

"Getting all of the components of the observatory to work together perfectly in the remote, unforgiving, inhospitable environment of the deep sea was no easy task," said Marcia McNutt, president of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

But six years of hard work and 13.5 million dollars later, the first deep-sea ocean observatory off the continental United States is up, running and grabbing the attention of scientists and engineers around the world.

A deep-sea underwater observatory conjures images of scientists wearing aquatic helmets and living in a deep-sea laboratory. MARS is no such place. The observatory, a bright orange metal pyramid about the size of two compact cars, was not designed for human occupation. Scientists operate it via remote control from shore.

MARS is connected to land by a 52-kilometer long cable that provides both power to keep the instruments going and a high-speed Internet connection for delivering data to the research institute.

The observatory

is already collecting basic oceanographic data like temperature and salinity, which are available worldwide on the Monterey Aquarium Research Institute's Web site.

Soon, scientists will send down instruments that monitor earthquakes, capture deep-sea animals on video and test the effects of ocean acidification on those animals.

Over the next few months, scientists will use robot submarines to deploy the instruments and connect them to MARS with underwater extension cords. Once the scientific instruments are deployed, they can continually deliver live data to scientists via MARS and the cable.

"Monterey is the perfect place because the deepwater is so close," said Steve Etchemendy, director of Marine Operations at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and project manager for MARS. "We're going to push the envelope ... and there will be great advances in ocean science."

But the most important goal of MARS is to learn more about the ocean and monitor its health, said Etchemendy.

"Keeping our ocean environment healthy is critical to human life on Earth. We can't think it's so big that it's untouchable," he said. "And you can't make good policy decisions without good science to tell you what's really happening."

One of the scientific instruments that will go out next month is the Free Ocean Carbon Experiment. It will help researchers understand how deep sea animals will hold up if the ocean grows more acidic.

Another experiment is an ultra-sensitive seismometer, a tool that listens for rumbles caused by earthquakes and finds seismic activity.

"It helps answer global questions relating to plate structure and deep structure of the earth," said Paul McGill, Chief engineer on the seismometer project at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

But it also helps scientists understand the California fault system in greater detail.

Almost all seismometers are on the eastern side of the greater San Andreas Fault system, but scientists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have placed instruments on the west side of the system. Once attached to MARS, they will collect seismic data in real time.

"Putting instrument systems on the west side of the fault system helps us understand both sides of the fault," McGill said. "And this is important for the economy, safety and science."

Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute hope to keep MARS going for at least 25 years.

"This is great for outreach, because we can show people this is what's happening right now," McGill said. "It really puts people in touch with the ocean."

Contact Cassandra Brooks 706-3254 or jcopeland@santacruzsentinel.com.

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