Good morning, agent.

Reliable scientific sources have revealed that Earth is undergoing rapid changes that endanger life as we know it.

We need your help!

Your Assignment

Accept the mission to become a WHOI member. Prepare to go to unfathomable depths and formidable extremes alongside a team of experts and innovators on assignments that drive ocean discovery and accelerate the search for solutions.

Monitor Climate Change

The polar regions are the front lines of climate change, but our efforts to gather intelligence in these extreme places have so far been thwarted by the perils of ice.

OBJECTIVES:
Using the surface robot Chemyak, monitor, map, and sample icebergs and glaciers and release a fleet of Argo floats across a wide swath of the polar ocean to drift with currents and send information back via satellite

CHALLENGES:
Danger from falling ice/getting stuck under ice; extremely low temperatures that drain batteries; sea states that may overwhelm the robot

REWARDS:
Understand how fast the ice is melting, what gasses are being released in the process, and how meltwater is changing ocean circulation

Protect Vulnerable Habitats

Coral reef ecosystems are in serious decline due to warming ocean temperatures, pollution, and overdevelopment. You can help slow the rate of impact by surveying and taking measurements in areas that are too small or sensitive for other tools.

OBJECTIVES:

Survey and sample shallow reefs with the "curious robot" CUREE.
For deep-sea corals, ROV JASON is the tool of choice.

CHALLENGES:

AI animal tracking requires some human oversight
CUREE has limited range and depth capacity
JASON requires extensive support resources

REWARDS:

Assess the current state of the reef to target human-assisted recovery efforts
Diagnose coral disease before it's perceptible to the human eye

Discover Deep Dark Secrets

The discovery of hydrothermal vents in 1977 proved that life can flourish in the absence of sunlight- on Earth, and perhaps on other ocean worlds. Despite this revelation, we have only explored a small fraction of the seafloor.

OBJECTIVES:

From the safety of a research vessel, deploy AUV ORPHEUS and ROV JASON
Survey, record video, collect samples
Alert us to any signs of intelligent life in this alien region of our planet

CHALLENGES:

Crushing pressures at depth
Extreme cold drains batteries
Potential interactions with deep-sea fauna
Potential to get stuck in unfamiliar, rocky terrain

REWARDS:

Find out the origin of life on Earth
Give us clues for what to search for on other ocean worlds
Potentially find new resources and compounds that can help us back on land

Your Assignment

The Team

With over 1,000 ocean experts, explorers, and specialized technicians, the WHOI network is currently engaged in over 800 missions around the world. For your assignment, we have selected a uniquely skilled group of scientists, engineers, and fabricators.

Robots and Tech

The ocean is a cold, dark, vast, and frankly, dangerous place for human beings. That's why we need robots to help us-and in some cases, guide us-towards the solutions. These just are some of the myriad robotic tools at your disposal.