Scientific technological and social impact of NOAA's mobile undersea research habitat

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Undersea Research Center at Fairleigh Dickinson University (NURC-FDU) on St. Croix, U.S.V.I. presently operates (AQUARIUS). a recently commissioned scientific saturation diving habitat system. The unique undersea habitat is located in the apex of a submarine canyon on St. Croix's north shore at a depth of SO ft. By utilizing saturation diving, teams of six aquanaut scientists are able to spend up to four weeks living beneath the sea. studying the ocean floor and its inhabitants. Moreover, the AQUARIUS mobile system consists of the habitat, its anchoring baseplate, and a Launch, Recovery, and Transport (LRT) vessel that can be retrofitted to serve as a Mobile Support Base (MSB) and floating laboratory. This mobile capacity will allow NURC-FDU to serve the research needs of the entire Caribbean.