9710512 Walden This award to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, will provide new instrumentation to be used in conjunction with deep submergence vehicle Alvin, a submersible operated by WHOI as part of the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), and with the remotely operated vehicle Jason, both of which are available to support ocean sciences research projects to investigators from throughout the U.S. Instrumentation includes new data logging and video acquisition systems, a new laser-ring gyroscope for vehicle navigation, a "virtual Alvin" software system for pilot and observer training, new flotation to increase payload, a new scanning sonar for obstacle avoidance and scientific study of seafloor morphology, and several other items to improve the scientific capabilities of both Alvin and Jason. The shared-use instrumentation supported here will assist researchers to conduct studies throughout the world ocean in 1997 and in future years. ***
