US Research Ships Ready to Cast Off in 2015
Two new U.S. research vessels are going full steam ahead: the U.S. National Science Foundation will formally commission its Arctic-bound Sikuliaq, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Neil Armstrong will begin science operations.
Live Science reports that two new U.S. research ships will take to the seas in the Arctic and Atlantic in 2015, allowing scientists around the world to explore the geology, biology and health of the oceans.
The ocean researchers said that the U.S. National Science Foundation has commissioned the Arctic research vessel Sikuliaq. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's (WHOI) ship, dubbed Neil Armstrong, will begin science operations later.
Both of the new ships are part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, a consortium of 62 academic institutions and national laboratories that share the use of oceanographic research ships.
Despite decades of study, the oceans remain some of the most unexplored and fascinating parts of the planet. Both the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans play a critical role in shaping Earth's climate, and the two new vessels will help scientists from a variety of disciplines learn more about these bodies of water.