WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
Exploring the Hadal Zone, Earth’s final frontier
WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
Exploring the Hadal Zone, Earth’s final frontier
We're taking the first steps with a new class of hadal vehicles
From September 11-15, a WHOI-led team on R/V Neil Armstrong will be testing the hadal autonomous underwater vehicle Orpheus and its twin Eurydice together for the first time. Learn more about how this new class of vehicles will change what we know about the Hadal Zone.
What we may learn
On a planet where more of us are connected every day, it seems impossible there could be places we know almost nothing about. Revealing secrets of the Hadal Zone will give us insight into the evolution of life, the function of systems that sustain life on Earth, and the limits of life here and elsewhere in the universe.
Life
Life below 20,000 feet is vastly different than any other place on Earth. Adaptations to extreme pressure and food supply present opportunities to learn more about the evolution and connectivity of life and to develop new antibiotics and medical treatments.
Technology
Before we can explore ocean worlds beyond Earth, we have to explore our own ocean, and the tools we need are complex and highly specialized. Earth will be our test-bed for new technologies to reach the Hadal Zone and to eventually explore ocean worlds beyond our home planet.
Our Home
Life-support systems that make Earth habitable rely on every part of the ocean, even the Hadal Zone. It helps process nutrients and regulate the climate and serves as a laboratory for evolution to experiment with adaptations that allow life to thrive in harsh conditions.