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Light in the Ocean

A difficult problem in oceanography is how to communicate underwater. Generally, information flows to and from underwater instruments through cables, or as low bandwidth acoustic signals through the water. WHOI engineers and scientists are developing another way that can send large amounts of data hundreds of meters through the water. Known as an optical modem, the device uses different frequencies of light to transmit even real-time high-definition video from an underwater vehicle to a submerged communications node connected by cable to the surface.(Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)