Into the blue

During a 2006 pilot project to study the effect of ocean currents on fish larvae spawned on coral reefs in Belize, the autonomous underwater vehicle REMUS (an acronym for Remote Environmental Monitoring Units) was utilized to take images and collect environmental data on the reefs. After entering the water, REMUS uses acoustic navigation to independently survey an area while sensors inside the instrument sample and record the data.

(Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)