Ocean Visibility and Optics Lab

In a unique partnership with NOAA, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the Harris Corporation, Harbor Branch coordinated the renovation of the world’s only undersea laboratory.  AQUARIUS , owned by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, operates 4.5 kilometers off of Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Maritime Sanctuary.  The underwater “inner space station” is deployed next to deep coral reefs, 20 meters beneath the surface allowing scientists to live and work underwater in reasonably comfortable living quarters.

In additional to a complete renovation of the undersea laboratory, Harbor Branch also designed and built an autonomous Life Support Buoy (LSB).  The LSB is a 10 meter diameter discus buoy that provides air and power down to the AQUARIUS station and relays communications and data back to shore.

More than 70 missions have been completed using the AQUARIUS, involving over 250 scientists.

To learn more, visit www.uncw.edu/aquarius