Thousands of barrels of DDT and other chemicals were found in the ocean
Banned in 1972, DDT devastated marine animals and other wildlife for decades
UC San Diego scientists are using robots to scan the seafloor for the toxic tubs
The sub-like Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS (REMUS) can run for about 12 hours and then need another half-day to recharge
While one is mapping the seafloor, the other will recharge and share its data
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When Californians learned in October that the waters off Santa Catalina Island once served as a dumping ground for thousands of barrels of DDT waste, the ocean science community jumped into action.
A crew was swiftly assembled, shipping lanes cleared, the gears set in motion for a deep-sea expedition aboard the Sally Ride, one of the most technologically advanced research vessels in the country.
On Thursday, the ship left San Diego and headed for the San Pedro Basin, where 31 scientists and crew members will spend the next two weeks surveying almost 50,000 acres of the seafloor a much-needed first step in solving this toxic mystery that the ocean had buried for decades.