Image

Nereus, Ready for Its Close-Up

Videographer Evan Kovacs films the hybrid remotely operated vehicle (HROV) Nereus as it descends from the sea surface. Nereus is called a “hybrid” ROV because it can operate either tethered to a ship or in fully autonomous mode. It is capable of diving deeper than any other vehicle currently in service. In 2009, Nereus dove to the deepest point on Earth, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench of the western Pacific Ocean. The Challenger Deep is nearly 11,000 meters (6.8 miles) below the sea surface, which means that if Mount Everest were placed in it, the top of the peak would still be a mile below the surface. Kovacs works at the Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory at WHOI, which develops systems and techniques for the collection and interpretation of scientific images.(Photo by Becky Kagan Schott, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)