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What are research submersibles like Alvin useful in studying?

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Research submersibles like Alvin are useful in studying because this human-occupied vehicle can collect data throughout the water column, produce a variety of maps, and perform photographic surveys. Alvin's two robotic arms can manipulate instruments and obtain samples ranging from hard-rock geology to delicate biology, and its sampling basket can be reconfigured daily based on the needs of each dive.

User Joe Conlin
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These subs are useful in studying the ocean floor, where it is so deep that divers would be crushed by the water pressure. For example, research submersibles are used to study shipwrecks like the RMS Titanic.
User Chinmaya Hegde
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