OCEAN EXPLORATION AND MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY

BETHANY SMITH

WHY EXPLORE THE OCEAN ?

• OCEANS COVER ~71% OF EARTH’S SURFACE, BUT ONLY ~5% OF THE OCEAN HAS BEEN EXPLORED AND MAPPED

• THE OCEAN IS A SOURCE OF SUSTENANCE, TRANSPORT, COMMERCE, GROWTH & INSPIRATION (NOAA)

• THE OCEAN PLAYS A ROLE IN THE AIR WE BREATHE, DAILY WEATHER, CLIMATE, AND EVEN ENERGY

RESOURCES (NOAA)

WHAT DO WE EXPLORE ?• PRETTY MUCH EVERY DISCIPLINE HAS AN OCEAN APPLICATION

• BIOLOGY

• CHEMISTRY

• PHYSICS

• GEOLOGY

• ARCHAEOLOGY

• ECOLOGY

• ENGINEERING

• MATHEMATICS

• TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

• NAVIGATION

HOW DO WE EXPLORE THE OCEAN ?• SHIPS

• NOAA’S OKEANOS EXPLORER

• OCEAN EXPLORATION TRUST’S EV NAUTILUS

• SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE’S RV FALKOR

• ROV (REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLES/ROBOTS)

• AUV/GLIDERS (AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES)

• HOV (HUMAN OCCUPIED VEHICLE/SUB)

• OCEAN MOORINGS

• NETS

• SONAR

• SATELLITES

TELEPRESENCE TECHNOLOGY (LIVESTREAM)• SHIP-TO-SHORE CONNECTION

• ALLOWS LIVE VIDEO AND AUDIO FROM THE SHIP ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD TO BE

TRANSMITTED TO SCIENTISTS ONSHORE AND VIEWERS ACROSS THE INTERNET.

Ocean Exploration Trust’s EV Nautiluswww.nautiluslive.org

NOAA’s Okeanos Explorerhttps://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/livestreams/welcome.html

Schmidt Ocean Institute’s RV Falkorhttps://schmidtocean.org/technology/live-from-rv-falkor/

EXPLORATION OF THE MONTERREY SHIPWRECKJULY 2013

GULF OF MEXICO (~170 MILES SE OF GALVESTON, TX)• EV Nautilus

• 211 feet long• Carries 48 people (scientists & crew)• 2 ROVs (Hercules and Argus)• Multibeam Echosounder• Bow & stern thrusters to maintain position• Telepresence technology• Wet Lab• Production Studio• Data Processing Lab• ROV Workshop/Hanger• Control & Imaging Vans• EV Nautilus Tour

ROVS HERCULES AND ARGUS

• Rated to 4000 m (13,123 ft)• 5,500 lbs• Size of a VW Bug• 2 sampling arms• Lights, cameras, GPS• Sampling tools and sample storage• Works in tandem with ROV Argus, receives power

from the ship• ROV pilot controls from the ship command center

• Rated to 6000 m (19,685 ft)• 4,700 lbs• Lights, cameras, GPS• Sampling tools and sample storage• Works in tandem with ROV Hercules “eye in the

sky”, absorbs ship movement, receives power from the ship

• ROV pilot controls from the ship command center• Exploring with a two-body system

Monterrey Shipwreck• Identified as a target of interest in a 2011 Shell Oil SONAR survey

• Briefly surveyed in 2012 by the Okeanos Explorer and confirmed as a well preserved shipwreck containing artifacts

• Early 19th-Century wooden hulled, copper clad sailing vessel containing artillery, firearms, navigation instruments, cooking and food storage items, medicine and personal effects.

• Wreck lies in 1330 meters (4300 ft) of water

• Hull outline ~25 meters (84 ft) long by 7.9 meters (26 ft) wide

• Partnership between OET, Texas State University, NOAA, BOEM, BSEE, TX Hist. Comm.

• Wreck Initial Survey

Photomosaic of the Monterrey Wreck

Artifacts

• Help archaeologists and scientists identify the historical and socio-cultural context within which the ship operated, and hopefully identify it.

• Required federal permits for artifact retrieval

• Artifacts conserved and stored/displayed at Texas State University/Meadows Center for Water and the Environment

• ~60 small/medium sized artifacts recovered

• Artifact Observation

Artifact Recovery• Hercules has many different tools, and ROV engineers can craft new ones as needed

• Artifact Recovery

Ocean Exploration SurprisesMonterrey B and C Wrecks

• Two additional targets identified on the 2011 Shell survey within ~ 5 miles of Monterrey A wreck• Surveys and artifacts as well as positional proximity indicate all 3 vessels were traveling together and

sank during the same event (likely a violent storm).• Most likely explanation: Wreck A is a privateer vessel and Wrecks B & C were captured prizes

Monterrey B: Merchant ship with cow hides and blocks of tallow, and hornsSecond Wreck Discovered

Monterrey C: largest ship, copper clad, without cargo (maybe perishable), stone ballast and huge anchor Third Wreck Discovered

How Do I Get Involved?

EV Nautilus YouTube Channel