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Fox/Dorman Letter to Editor of Science 



16 April 1993 Page 1 of 3 



Alvin and Remotely Operated Vehicles: 

 A Synergistic Approach for Studying the Deep Ocean and Seafloor 



P. J. Fox 

 C. E. Donnan 



The recent article by J. Travis, titled: "Deep-Sea Debate Pits Alvin Against 

 Jason', (Science, v. 259, 12 March 1993, 1534-1535) unfortunately obfuscates the 

 character of an ongoing and necessary dialogue about the future of deep submergence 

 science, that is presently engaging the diverse community of biologists, chemists, 

 geologists and physicists who work in the deep sea, by suggesting that the use of manned 

 or unmanned vehicles in the abyss is an "either/or" situation. While it is commendable 

 that Mr. Travis brought to the public forum a presentation of the exciting potential 

 offered by unmanned vehicles to the solution of fundamental questions that can only be 

 addressed through the effective use of deep submergence assets, it is unfortunate that 

 his text magnifies an ancillary issue while overlooking the critical element that is 

 conditioning discussions about the future of deep submergence science. We would like to 

 identify a few perspectives that may help to sharpen the community's understanding of the 

 salient issues. 



• It is all but self evident that in more than 25 years of service to the 

 oceanogiaphic sciences, Alvin stands as a necessary and fundamental facility that has 

 been, and still is, critical to benchmark advances in biological, chemical and geological 

 oceanography. This probe into earth's inner space, with more than 2500 dives made, has 

 proved to be a reliable workhorse providing investigators with a cognitive presence and a 

 capability to carry out controlled, manipulative and interactive tasks. Alvin's 

 operational systems are completely disassembled and reassembled every three years in 

 order to meet stringent U. S. Navy specifications required for manned submersibles. 

 Alvin dives about 150-200 days per year for multidisciplinary science, considerably more 

 than any other individual deep sea manned research submersible, and the key observations, 

 samplings, measurements and experiments that have been made during these 



