Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academics

Distinguished Lecture Series

Title: Deep-Sea Exploration

Robert D. Ballard, Ph.D.
President, Institute for Exploration
Scientist Emeritus, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Wednesday, April 28, 1999, 7:30 p.m.
Rudder Auditorium, Texas A&M University

Abstract

Robert Ballard discusses his experiences in deep-sea exploration and his interest in furthering science education through the Jason Project.

About the Speaker

Over his more than 30-year career, Robert Ballard has conducted more than 110 deep sea expeditions involving a range of fascinating subjects. For the first 15 years of his career, he explored the natural features beneath the sea using deep-diving submersibles. One of his most early studies was exploring the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the largest feature on the earth. During manned dives to the Ridge, he discovered underwater hot springs as well as the unusual animal communities and mineral deposits around them.

Not satisfied with the ability of submersibles to explore the ocean floor, Dr. Ballard then began the development of advanced robotic equipment that could stay on the bottom of the ocean for 12 to 14 hours and take literally thousands of photographs in one dive. Using these manueverable, remote-controlled, photographic robots, Dr. Ballard discovered the British luxury liner RMS Titanic, the German battleship Bismarck, and the United States' aircraft carrier Yorktown as well as exploring the final remains of the Lusitania and Titanic's sister ship, Britannic.

More recently, Dr. Ballard's interest has concentrated on a new field of research: deep-water marine archaeology. In 1997, he discovered a fleet of ancient ships along the deep-water trade routes between Rome and the once powerful city of Carthage. In 1998, a preliminary sonar survey off the Turkish coast began what he hopes to be a long-term exploration tracing human history to the anaerobic depths of the Black Sea.