Alvin sampling a hydrothermal vent in 2021. Photo: WHOI-MISO, D. Fornari, S. A. Soule, WHOI/NSF/2022, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Alvin submersible is now capable of diving to 21,325 feet (6,500 meters), putting 99% of the ocean floor within its reach. Alvin’s upgrade has been in the works for over four years, with its last iteration completed in 2021. The veteran submersible can now dive nearly 6,700 feet (2,000 meters) deeper than before, enabling scientists to explore the ocean’s most abyssal recesses. “The new maximum depth puts roughly 98-99% of the global seafloor in reach —including the lower Abyssal Zone...