st looks back

Sea Technology, Mar 2008

March Issue

25 Years Ago

1983. The now-defunct HMB Subwork Ltd. developed the Mantis remotely operated vehicle, which was said to be the world's first submersible capable of operating in either the manned or unmanned mode....The Deep Sea Drilling Project unearthed evidence from the seafloor near New Zealand, proving that much of the land in the Pacific Ocean's "ring of fire" was formed by ancient volcanic eruptions of mammoth proportions....The Canadian Hydrographie Service undertook a survey of the last uncharted section of the Canadian Arctic Ocean continental shelf, covering more than 35,000 square kilometers of seabed off the coast of Ellesmere Island.

15 Years Ago

1993. President Bill Clinton marked $81 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the economic stimulus package he unveiled as part of his first official address to the U.S. Congress....A joint industry study was performed to examine the effects of Hurricane Andrew on the Gulf of Mexico's oil production platforms....The Environmental Protection Agency approved final effluent limitation guidelines and new performance standards for the domestic offshore oil and gas industry.

10 Years Ago

1998. As part of the Clinton administration's Clean Water Action Plan, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began a multiagency Clean Water Initiative to reduce polluted runoff....El Niñorelated drought and high ocean temperatures off Australia resulted in a coral bleaching event around the Great Barrier Reef....The National Marine Fisheries Service held public hearings in Puerto Rico on the proposed designation of critical habitat areas to protect the threatened green sea turtle and the endangered hawksbill sea turtle.