After the Fieldwork

As in any archaeological excavation, the fieldwork on a deep-ocean site is only part of the operation. Conservation of whatever is recovered is an important next step, particularly because the artifacts have been resting on the seabed, in the complex chemistry of seawater and bottom sediments, and have usually experienced a variety of physical and chemical changes. Sometimes, after years in a saltwater environment, they can react violently when exposed to oxygen, cracking, crumbling, and falling apart. They usually have to be kept immersed in seawater at first, gradually replacing the salt water with filtered fresh water so the salts in the artifacts leach out. Depending on what the artifacts are made of, different kinds of chemical preservatives may need to be applied, together with such techniques as electrolysis and freeze-drying, Meanwhile, further recording, analysis, cataloging and research continue.

In the end, as in every other kind of archaeological research, reports and technical papers are prepared,

Together with popular publications and exhibits. In the case of Odyssey, the company has built a conservation facility in Tampa, Florida, where its shipwreck artifacts are conserved and stored. The collections that have value for ongoing research and public interpretation are made available for study and presented to the public through scheduled lab visits and educational programs offered to the local schools.