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More Eyes Are Better

When the human-occupied submersible Alvin dives, it does so increasingly with the help of the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry. Here, WHOI scientist Dana Yoerger provides Mike Perfit from the University of Florida and Yen “Joe” Tran from Columbia University—both observers on the day’s Alvin expedition—with high-resolution maps of the seafloor in the region where they will be exploring. On missions where the two vehicles work together, Sentry gathers data overnight and members of the Sentry Team process the data in the morning before Alvin goes in the water. (Photo by Dan Fornari, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)