8/6/2019 Diving Into Dark Waters

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Diving into dark waters

Source: International Seabed Authority,China Oceanic Administration,Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Graphics News

DEEP-SEA EXPLORATION

Submersibles shown to scale

Pacific Ocean deepest point:MARIANA TRENCHDeepest known point of worldsoceans 10,924 m

Alvin, 4,500mVersion designedto reach 6,500mplanned by 2015

Nautile6,000m

Mir6,000m

Shinkai6,500m

Jiaolong7,000m

Trieste10,911m

0 metres

4,000

6,000

8,000

11,000

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

INDIAN

OCEAN

A manned Chinese submersible, the Jiaolong, has successfully completed aPacific Ocean dive to 5,057 metres, paving the way for a record-breaking7,000m test dive in 2012 which would put China in the lead in the race to findpotentially vast mineral resources locked in the ocean depths.

Arctic Ocean deepestpoint: EURASIA BASIN5,450 m

Atlantic Oceandeepest point:PUERTO RICOTRENCH

8,648 m

Caribbean Seadeepest point:CAYMAN TROUGH7,686 m

Southern Ocean deepest point:SOUTH SANDWICH TRENCH7,235 m

Indian Oceandeepest point:JAVA TRENCH 7,125 m

Mediterranean Sea deepestpoint: CALYPSO DEEP5,627 m

Gulf of Mexicodeepest point:SIGSBEE DEEP4,384 m

1960:Jacques Piccardand Don Walsh dive10,911m to the floor of Challenger Deep inbathyscaphe Trieste the record still stands. Thedescent to the ocean floor took 4 hours and 48minutes at a descent rate of 0.9 metres per second(3.0 ft/s). The two men spent barely twenty minutesat the ocean floor. The temperature in the cabin was7C (45F) and the pressure exceeded 16,000pounds per square inch. The ascent to surface took

3 hours, 15 minutes.

1966:Alvinused to locate1.45-megatonhydrogenbomb lost inUSAF midaircollision overMediterranean

1979:Alvin givesscientists first-ever view ofblack smokers hydrothermalvents containinghigh levels ofsulphur-bearingminerals onEast Pacific Rise

1989: JapansShinkai divesto 6,527m

1990s:Mirfilmswreck of Titanicfor moviedirector JamesCameron

2007: Mirplants Russian flagon Arctic seabed

June 2009: Nautileused in search forblack box of crashed

Air France Flight 447

2010:Jiaolongplants Chineseflag on floor ofSouth China Sea

July 26, 2011:Jiaolong dives

to 5,057 metres

Deposits rich incopper, lead zinc,gold and silver

Alvin, U.S.LengthCrewMax. depthLaunch

7 metres3 people4,500m

1964

Mir, RussiaLengthDepthLaunch

Crew7.8m 36,000m

1987

Nautile, FranceLengthCrewDepthLaunch

7m3

6,000m1984

Shinkai, JapanLengthCrewDepthLaunch

9.5m3

6,5001989

Jiaolong, China

LengthCrewDepthLaunch

8m3

7,000m2009

Trieste,U.S.

Length18mCrew 2Depth10,911mLaunch1953

SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1; INFOGRAPH IC BY TARAM ARTIN/QMI AGENCY