A Milestone for JASON
September 1, 2004
The Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) JASON completed its 100th dive August 1 in Adak Canyon in the Aleutian Island chain as part of the Aleutian Coral Research Expedition (ACRE), funded by the NOAA’s West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center. JASON collected rock, coral and biological samples in the steep-walled canyon between Adak and Kanaga Islands, reaching a maximum depth of 1,811 meters (5,940 feet) during the dive. Since its first deployment in 2002, JASON has operated exclusively in the Pacific Ocean from the Juan de Fuca Ridge off the Northwest coast of the United States to the Mariana’s Island Arc near Guam. The recent expedition was the farthest north JASON has operated, with its deepest dive to date in May 2003 to its rated depth of 6,500 meters (21,320 feet) in the Santa Rosa Fault of the Mariana’s Island Arc. The vehicle has now logged more than 107 dives and more than 1,800 hours of bottom time. JASON will operate on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time this fall from the WHOI Research Vessel Knorr.
JASON makes its 100th dive off the Aleutian Islands. (Photo by Dan Fornari, WHOI)