-
Coral Atolls Explained
Charles Darwin publishes a paper suggesting that coral atolls are the final stage in the subsidence and erosion of volcanic islands. livescience.com -
Life in the Deep Sea
Charles Wyville Thomson, dredging from the H.M.S Lightning, finds sea life at 4,389 meters (14,400 feet), shattering previous theories that the sea was lifeless below 549 meters (1,800 feet). thecoversation.com -
The First Oceanographic Research Vessel
The U.S. Fisheries Commission steamer Albatross begins operations as the first ship built to serve as an oceanographic research vessel. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwjI0Jzq0vHkAhXhlOAKHQ6-BEsQMwhEKAIwAg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nefsc.noaa.gov%2Fhistory%2Fships%2Falbatross1%2Falbatross1.html&psig=AOvVaw35xoXNaGGtZK8AnIEnqsJp&ust=1569695843325735&ictx=3&uact=3 -
The Sinking of the Titanic
The Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg, killing 1,500 people. The tragedy led to efforts to develop an acoustic device to find objects ahead of a vessel.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwixo9Ki1PHkAhWRZd8KHdOgBLUQMwhtKAEwAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Ftopic%2FTitanic&psig=AOvVaw3wLlqaShjKsXy3iol5fs6r&ust=1569696229961090&ictx=3&uact=3 -
The Bathysphere
William Beebe is lowered in a tethered bathysphere to 923 meters (3,028 feet). He and partner Otis Barton pioneered manned exploration of the ocean. nyaquarium.com -
The Creation of the Aqua-Lung
Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan modify a demand breathing regulator to engineer the Aqua-Lung, forever changing the course of human interaction with the sea. otlibrary.com -
An Untethered Submersible Dive
The French research submersible FNRS-3 descends to 4,041 meters (13,257 feet) off the coast of West Africa, piloted by Georges Houot and Pierre Willm, inaugurating use of manned, untethered, research submersibles. waymarking.com -
Creating Sea Surface Maps
TOPEX/Poseidon satellite begins mapping the surface of the sea. energysolutionsintl.com -
First Successful Solo Dive to the Mariana Trench
National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron successfully travels to the bottom of the deepest known point in the ocean, Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench on the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition. DEEPSEA CHALLENGE is a joint scientific project by James Cameron, the National Geographic Society, and Rolex. This is the first time someone has traveled to this depth during a solo mission
nationalgeographic.com -
Seabed 2030:
An international scientific team announces a plan that aims to map the entire floor of the Earth's oceans by 2030, using over a dozen tracking ships outfitted with advanced multibeam bathymetry technology. The effort, Seabed 2030, will fill in the considerable gaps in our knowledge of this massive region, of which less than 15 percent has been mapped in detail--less than some planets in our solar system. nincei.noaa.gov
