On April 1, 2007, researchers completed an important step in constructing the first deep-sea cabled observatory in the continental United States. In a multi-institution effort managed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and funded by the National Science Foundation, 52 kilometers (32 miles) of cable were laid along the seafloor of Monterey Bay. This undersea cable will provide electrical power to scientific instruments, video cameras, and robots 900 meters (3,000 feet) below the ocean surface. It will also carry data from these instruments back to shore, for use by scientists and engineers around the world.

Via Twitter, I learned abou two other underwater observatories scientists are working on: http://neptune.uvic.ca/ and http://venus.uvic.ca/ (thanks, robitaille). This stuff is just kinda… awesome.